Jackson, Mich. (WKHM) — The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office has announced that 40-year-old Martez Stewart was resentenced on a Second-Degree Murder conviction in 1999.

At that time, Judge Vandercook sentenced Stewart, who was 13 at the time of the homicide, to life with the possibility of parole. In 2024, the Michigan Supreme Court declared that life with the possibility of parole was no longer a valid sentence for juvenile offenders and thus Defendant was entitled to a resentencing.

This conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred in the City of Jackson in September of 1998 where 14-year-old Stacy Davis was stabbed at least 33 times. After the JPD completed an investigation, Stewart was charged for that homicide and ultimately pled to Open Murder. Judge Vandercook held a degree hearing and found him guilty of Second-Degree Murder before sentencing him.

Judge Susan B. Jordan concluded a multi-day re-sentencing on Friday and sentenced Stewart to 40-60 years prison. He has credit for almost 27 years. Prosecutor Kelsey Guernsey says this sentence was above the recommended guidelines as Judge Jordan firmly believed that this was an egregious act and deserved the maximum allotted time she could give.

“First, I want to thank Judge Jordan. She spent a long time working on this case and concluded that this sentence of 40-60 years was appropriate. Given the constraints with the laws as they are now, this was realistically the maximum sentence she could impose and it shows her dedication in holding violent offenders accountable,” said Guernsey.

The Prosecutor’s Office also praised Matt Way, Chief Appellate Prosecuting Attorney, saying he worked diligently with the victim’s family to ensure justice was achieved.