Man accused in fatal beating in Ypsilanti Township is held without bond
A homeless man is accused of fatally beating a man during a fight this week at an Ypsilanti Township home.
Keithen Potter, 33, is charged with murder in the death of 57-year-old David Harold Bennett.
Dave Bennett
Photo courtesy of John Kinder
Potter was arraigned this morning at the Washtenaw County Jail, where he is being held without bond.
In court, sheriff's Det. Jamie Stitt testified that Potter has felony convictions for home invasion and resisting and obstructing police. Stitt said Potter is homeless, but has stayed a couple of times with his mother, who lives across the street from where the crime occurred. Stitt asked that Potter be held without bond.
Keithen Potter
Potter said he is single, has three children and doesn't have a job. Magistrate Mark Nelson said he would appoint a public defender to represent Potter. Nelson ordered that Potter be held without bond.
John Kinder, 57, of Louiseville, Ky., who has been a friend of Bennett's for more than 40 years, said Bennett was retired from GM and recently had a new girlfriend.
Bennett grew up in the home where he was killed, Kinder said. Bennett moved back in with his mother several years ago to care for her as she was dying of cancer, Kinder said. After his mother died, Bennett bought her home and wanted to stay in the neighborhood because of his fond memories there, Kinder said.
"Dave would never hurt anybody or anything," Kinder said.
Kinder, who grew up in the same neighborhood, remembers visiting Bennett's house as a child and eating popcorn as they watched roller derby on television. They often went fishing together.
The house on Dorset Avenue where the body of David Harold Bennettt was found Thursday.
Angela J. Cesere | AnnArbor.com
"We'd always play table tennis and, of course, I'd kick his butt and he hated it," Kinder said.
Kinder said he's shocked at how Bennett died. "I've never had to deal with anything like this before," he said.
Potter is scheduled to return to court for a preliminary hearing on May 25.
Lee Higgins covers crime and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at (734) 623-2527 and email at leehiggins@annarbor.com.
Comments
Sean Thomas
Fri, Jun 3, 2011 : 8:52 a.m.
Two men inside a house alone fighting, nothing missing or stolen, no drugs found on scene....All Im saying is it is definetly a tragedy but unless someone else was in the house who made a comment on here...Nobody knows what happend....and if you claim to, stop it...
Terry
Fri, May 20, 2011 : 4:46 a.m.
Well all I have to say is this, since dave was my true friend even though I only met him a few months ago I knew that he was a very good man and he was so friendly to every one he met, I was so sas when I found out that he had been killed. and I was also very angry, in fact I am still angry because I was questioned by the police in this matter, even though they were only doing their job, I just felt kind of out of place you know. I mean how would any one feel if you just found out that someone you know was killed? so I know you have to feel my pain on both fronts in this matter. I will say this though, dave did not deserve to be treated this way and no matter how many games I beat him in poker, I still know that he was and is the real champ...... you will not only be missed, you will stay in my memory.
fight hunger
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 11:32 p.m.
i have seen him here in annanbor lord have mercy
rebecca havron
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 1:11 p.m.
david was related to me, and i think this is a shame.we hadn't spoke in a while because i moved away. my heart goes out to my family and his friends. i hope the guy that did this , gets what he deserves. RIP david , you will be missed and we will meet again. love ya. your cousin becky (johnson ) havron , ellijay , ga.
Jill
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 3:58 a.m.
This man looks like he has no remorse, nor does he care what anyone says or does to him. He is probably high on who knows what and has no emotion at all. This is what America needs to cull out and get back to being able to live in a peaceful society. I have no pity for the evil among us.
APCGuy
Mon, May 16, 2011 : 11:51 p.m.
What about funeral arrangements? I can find no data anywhere. There are those that would like to attend to pay last respects. Dave was a good man with many friends...
Angela Barbash
Mon, May 16, 2011 : 3:21 p.m.
Wow, this is awful... :(
Kirk Lane
Mon, May 16, 2011 : 6:37 a.m.
Dear Dave, I am very saddened by this tragic ending to your life. I have so many memories of our time spent together at GM and in our private lives. The nights we sat at your apartment playing nintendo, drinking a few beers and eating that awesome tuna and velveeta cheese casserole you used to make. We shared some great times and lots of laughs. I will miss you my friend. You were one of the good ones. Rest in peace my brother. Kirk
cybercitizen
Sun, May 15, 2011 : 9:52 p.m.
This town is not the town I grew up in anymore. Makes me sick to see all the crap going on in Ypsilanti now. Should just bulldoze the whole city and township and call it good. Too much trash, violence, drugs and low life thugs anymore. My thoughts and prayers go out to this poor deceased man's family. Nobody deserves this..nobody. I say lets get the death penalty back and quit feeding and housing these low life's in our prisons and jails. Rehabilitation? BS! There is no rehabilitating this scum of the earth...fry them all!
Sean Thomas
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 9:42 p.m.
Do you really think the low life thugs brings the drugs into the U.S. the most poweful nation in history has low life thugs outsmarting them? No rehabilitating is the easy lazy way out, and fry them all? lol im so glad you were not a lawmaker during the great depression when many became criminals just to eat...The sad thing is many self titled christians agree with you smh, Im almost sure you have nothing but BS decisions to make in your career...Ypsilanti, meth head capital
Angela Barbash
Mon, May 16, 2011 : 3:34 p.m.
I'm sorry to hear that you're not aware of all that is good about Ypsilanti.... I've been here for 10 years after coming to go to college. There is an unbelievably generous and creative community that makes the backbone of the City/Township. To say that it should be bulldozed is a shame, and a frustrating attitude for all of us who work hard in this community to combat.
anti-thug
Mon, May 16, 2011 : 1:53 a.m.
Same thing going on in Ann Arbor most of the crime is in in just a few areas.
tdw
Sun, May 15, 2011 : 10:24 p.m.
Apparently you don't realize that most of the crime happens in just a few areas.Don't like it ? leave. You won't be missed
BhavanaJagat
Sun, May 15, 2011 : 4:56 p.m.
The State of Michigan, and the Constitution of Michigan would support and defend the rights of Mr. Potter to his life and the legal system would provide him a public defender to defend Potter's legal rights. What I ask myself is, How could I have defended Mr. Dave Bennett? We as a society, and as a community are fully prepared to defend the legal rights of Mr. Potter and even if he is proven guilty, he still keeps his life. Mr. Bennett lived his life without any such protection and after the fact of his death,he has no need for a public defender. The only manner in which I could have defended Bennett could be that of providing comprehensive health care to Potter. He may not be insane and may not use insanity to defend his criminal act. It is my understanding that a man in a state of good and positive mental health would maintain harmonious social relations and would not kill another person. We can afford to pay for the services of public defender and all other expenses associated with the legal investigation and proceedings and we are not ready to accept the financial burden of keeping people in good health. My peace and safety depends upon the nature of health of individuals who live in my community. I am not defended unless my neighbor has access to seek mental well-being.
BhavanaJagat
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 2:32 p.m.
@aawolve: Thanks for that response. Many gun owners are very responsible people and keep their guns in secure places and may not answer the knock on the door with a loaded gun. The details of this attack are not yet known. I am not in the business of forgiving sins. Potter must face consequences for his own actions and taste the fruits of his own acts. I feel sorry for we have a Justice system which is Unjust.
aawolve
Mon, May 16, 2011 : 2:12 p.m.
How could I have defended Mr. Bennett? By shooting Mr. Potter, as would have been my legal right.
BhavanaJagat
Mon, May 16, 2011 : 4:27 a.m.
I am a strong supporter of death penalty and unfortunately that option is not available in the State of Michigan. I am not opposed to the idea of self-defense but, we have a situation where self-defense has not come into play. Sometimes, we may not get the chance to defend ourselves in an effective manner, particularly, when we do not expect to be attacked. If Potter is convicted, the State would house him, and feed him for several years and sends him to a hospital if he gets sick while living in the prison. I am asking, that we may even save some money, and save the life of an innocent man by promoting the mental and social well-being of all people in this community where drugs, violence, and crime have become symptomatic of the lack of health care. I always define man as a physical, mental, social, moral, and spiritual being. I lived in India with very poor people and I have seen that people still have a conscience and are afraid of spiritual sin and feel contented to live with whatever little they have. Poverty is no excuse for violence and crime. We need to defend the spiritual health of people and this neighborhood has to be saved.
Ricebrnr
Sun, May 15, 2011 : 9:40 p.m.
"My peace and safety depends upon the nature of health of individuals who live in my community. I am not defended unless my neighbor has access to seek mental well-being" I was going to stay out of this but sentiments as this is the problem. NO! You are first and foremost dependent on yourself for your peace and safety, full stop, end of story. Your neighbors, your community, the services available those are always and ever second to your willingness, your obligation to defend yourself.
Cathie
Sun, May 15, 2011 : 3:28 p.m.
Such a sad story. Nevertheless, news needs to be reported a factual, unbiased manner.
Mikey2u
Sun, May 15, 2011 : 3:01 p.m.
Dave was a good man, a kind man, and a great friend. If Dave had a downfall it was that he was "too nice." Ypsilanti didn't deserve someone as beautiful as Dave. And now he's gone. Rest in peace brother.
Graz
Sun, May 15, 2011 : 2:54 p.m.
I believe the relevance of the accused being homeless is that the same sort of information is given in nearly every story about a crime. The accused is usually named and their address or locale of record is stated. If he had lived in Ann Arboor, it would have stated that, if he lived in Paris, it would have stated that also. As he is homeless, that fact is stated as his current living situation. as loath as I am to stigmatize the homeless, I'm thinking that this isn't case in this story.
fight hunger
Sun, May 15, 2011 : 12:22 p.m.
is ther going to be a picture of the guy that killed him i really wanna see who he is i have seen the victim at the blake center its ad that that happend h to him he seems like anice person lord rest his soul my prayers go to the famliy
APCGuy
Sun, May 15, 2011 : 9:30 a.m.
I agree with Allen. Dave did have many friends who cared about him. Life sometimes separates us from those we do care about. We see them less and less as time goes by. Do we still care about them? Absolutely! A true friend never forgets... Allen also nailed it in regard to Dave's personality and disposition. In my book Dave had no outward desire to ever harm anyone... I will miss my friend. I continue to pray for Dave and his family...
Daily Toker
Sun, May 15, 2011 : 7:17 a.m.
@ Emily S: You make me weep.
Allen
Sun, May 15, 2011 : 4:56 a.m.
I have known David since 1966 , 45 years . I went to school with him we graduated high school together and we worked at the same plant for 24 years . You can just tell by his picture and his smile what kind of person David is . Friendly, happy, fun and he wouldn't hurt a fly . He would help anyone if he could . It is an Incredible tragedy to go like this I am crushed . I and many people are hurt by this . David had a lot of friends that loved him .
Salinemary
Sun, May 15, 2011 : 1:10 a.m.
Rest in peace, Mr. Bennett.
Jackietreehorn
Sun, May 15, 2011 : 1:04 a.m.
The guy (allegedly) just beat a man to death and the consensus is that we shouldn't be mentioning his homelessness. I'll admit that I should've seen that coming. It's no more of less relevant than the fact the suspect has kids or the victim was a retiree. This is a news article and I, myself, appreciate as much information as is available. I'll side with the Ann Arbor news on this one. The suspect doesn't strike me as being too concerned with how he is portraying or otherwise stigmatizing the homeless.
Jackietreehorn
Sun, May 15, 2011 : 3:34 a.m.
Ahhhh. Very good. Thank you, anti-thug. I amend my comment to supporting "whatever the correct entity is."
APCGuy
Sun, May 15, 2011 : 12:58 a.m.
Mr. Bennett was a hard-working person who may have lost his way in life. The death of his Mom and other life-changing events quite possibly led to a type of depression which continued to build over the last few years of his life. His death is tragic, especially having to die at the hands of another. Why? Only a very strong faith in God can answer these questions...
tdw
Sun, May 15, 2011 : 10:53 a.m.
Mr Bennett was retired from GM.Re-Read the article
fight hunger
Sun, May 15, 2011 : 12:21 a.m.
its sad so sad lord rest his soul
Lindsay Stone
Sun, May 15, 2011 : 12:03 a.m.
OMG I think it's so awesome Emily spoke up like that. I get so sick of the media tagging black, homeless, gay, trans, Muslim, or any other group that is marginalized group of people. On the other hand rarely do you ever see White, Male (minus any other description) when when used within the media.
actionjackson
Mon, May 16, 2011 : 9:19 p.m.
Lindsay, my wife is white and I can tell you for a fact that she doesn't clutch her purse tightly for the simple fact that a black man is passing her. Paranoia is all in the head. Not all of society reacts to news of homeless violence as stated in this article. Facts are facts and that is why journalists report the stories with as many of them as are available.
Lindsay Stone
Mon, May 16, 2011 : 8:47 p.m.
Yes it suck he is dead, but that doesn't help to use choice words with will lead the general public to think that all homeless people will kill you. Yes the article didn't say that, but it is the way such things are drilled into society. Why else would a white woman tend to clutch her purse tighter to her body when walking past a black man? It's because of how the media drills these ideals into us and perpetuates such images.
genetracy
Sun, May 15, 2011 : 10:15 p.m.
So the suspect, a black male, is "marginalized". I guess that is better than being dead like Mr Bennet.
Emily
Sat, May 14, 2011 : 11:26 p.m.
Can you explain how the announcing the accused was experiencing homelessness is relevant to the story? Would you put in first paragraph " a homeowner" is accused? "a tall man" is accused? "a black man" ? It's sensationalist and borderline offensive . Bennett's murder is a tragedy and I hope justice can be served without further stigmatizing the homeless community.
actionjackson
Mon, May 16, 2011 : 3:56 a.m.
OK Emily a homeless, seemingly,problematic guy, living with his Mom beat a decent white guy to death! How's that. What a shame. I didn't know the victim however I do know people like him.
free
Sun, May 15, 2011 : 1:59 p.m.
The article goes on to explain that as a result of his being homeless, he had stayed several times at his mother's house across the street. It appears to be an attempt to explain his connection to the victim or to explain what he might have been doing in the neighborhood.
eagleman
Sun, May 15, 2011 : 4:30 a.m.
You are wrong, Emily. It us relative that he is homeless because it could be an indication of his mental state or motive. Your shrieking about insensitivity is misplaced. People who are homeless are already stigmatized simply by being homeless for what sane person willingly accepts being without a home?
mohomed
Sun, May 15, 2011 : 12:44 a.m.
You have to have a great headline to get people reading and sell your ads popped up all over your sight. Homeless are a drain on society and are hated by most so it makes sense for AA to do this Emily!
eyeonthenews
Sat, May 14, 2011 : 8:41 p.m.
Thanks for this follow up story and picture. It's truly sad this man died this way. I didn't know him but my daughter lived a few doors down from him in a rental home a few years ago and he seemed like a good guy. My sympathy and prayers to his family and friends for their loss and our community's loss of another good neighbor.