In February 2022, 32-year-old Aaron Benson was found dead inside his home on Evergreen Road in Detroit as part of a triple homicide that also claimed the life of his girlfriend, 28-year-old LaShon Marshall, and her 5-year-old son, Caleb Harris. A cousin who had not heard from Benson for several days discovered the victims. Benson and Marshall were located together in one room and Caleb in a separate bedroom. The Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office determined all three died from multiple gunshot wounds. Investigators reported the home’s back door appeared to have been kicked in.

Detroit police charged 16-year-old Malcolm Ray Hardy as an adult in connection with the killings; a second teen was initially investigated but later had charges dismissed for insufficient evidence. Prosecutors argued the violence began after a dispute during a marijuana transaction, with Hardy allegedly taking Benson’s firearm and shooting all three victims and killing Caleb to eliminate a witness. In June 2024, Hardy, then 18, pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree murder and received concurrent prison terms of 28 to 60 years for each murder plus two years for a felony firearm conviction; he apologized at sentencing and will be eligible for parole after serving nearly three decades.