The New Year celebration in Redford Charter Township turned to tragedy just after midnight on January 1, 2018. Deonta Staples, 27, of West Bloomfield and an aspiring rapper known by the stage name Honesty, was found with a fatal gunshot wound at a music recording studio above a furniture store on Olympia near Grand River Avenue. He was taken to a hospital but died of his injuries. Friends said Staples had been in good spirits hours earlier.

Redford police arrested 45-year-old Ricardo Witherspoon in connection with the shooting. Reports say Witherspoon and Staples were acquainted, though the exact nature of their relationship and a clear motive were not disclosed; investigators indicated the incident did not appear to be a robbery. Witherspoon was charged with first-degree murder and firearms offenses and was denied bond.

Does anyone have information about Staples, his studio circle, or the events that night?