Squatter Charged with Triple Homicide After 4th Victim Escapes and Bodies Found in Basement

Photo of murder suspect Lance Clowney. Photo from DetroitNews.com.

SUBSCRIBE to TheReedersBlock.com for more true crime in realtime. This article is 100% human-written.

Listen to the Lance Clowney Detroit Squatter Triple Homicide Case Summary as you commute, work or relax.

Lance Clowney, 27, has been charged with murder, after the bodies of three victims were found in the basement of one of the victim’s homes. Everyone is shocked at the brutality.

What Happened

On February 17, Lance Clowney was in the Detroit home of Norman Hamlin, 66, along with Mark Barnett, 65, and William Barrett, 72. Clowney had been staying there a few weeks after being paroled for previous crimes. In 2017, he was sentenced to 5 to 15 years in prison for the felony convictions of Carjacking, Armed Robbery, Felony Firearm Possession and Fleeing Police. He served about 7 years of that maximum 15-year sentence before the Michigan Department of Corrections granted him parole. And he landed at the home of Norman Hamlin.

A motive hasn’t been released, but the evidence of what happened was clear. At some point, Clowney got into a confrontation in the single-family home with the three other older men and snapped. During the confrontation, he grabbed a knife and hammer and started attacking Norman Hamlin and Mark Barnett and William Barrett. None of the men survived. Clowney didn’t panic.

Drive-By Shooting of 7-Year-Old Connected to Earlier Double Shooting Sparked by Gang Rivalry

Instead, he dragged their bodies to the basement. Some reports indicate he wrapped the bodies in towels and carpeting to hide them. For the next day or so, he remained in the house. He would’ve stayed longer, but an unexpected guest disrupted that plan.

That same day, a fourth man showed up at the house. It was the Terry Daniel, 69, a friend of the victims. Clowney opened the door, let him in and then immediately began beating him with a hammer. He hit Daniel with the hammer nearly a dozen times before the man was able to escape. He was shocked but didn’t go to the police.

However, the next day on February 18, Daniel decided to flag down the police at about 12:45 pm. As it happened, police were already in the neighborhood on Edsel Street. They were responding to a call from the wife of William Barrett, who was worried because her husband hadn’t come home. Daniel led them directly to the house on 3100 South Edsel Street.

Two Hit Men Arrested Within 8 Seconds of Committing First-Degree Murder of Black Billion-Dollar Company Executive

When the police entered, they found a house that had been turned into a slaughterhouse. In the basement, they discovered the bodies of Norman Hamlin, William Barrett and Mark Barnett. All three had been brutally beaten with blunt force and stabbed. According to authorities, the bodies were reportedly wrapped in towels and carpeting, showing an attempt to hide the bodies while the killer continued to use the upstairs portion of the home. However, they didn’t find the killer.

Lance Clowney was not in the house when the police entered with Terry Daniel. He had ran after the hammer attack on Daniel. This triggered a wide 24-hour manhunt involving the Detroit Police Homicide Task Force, the FBI and the Michigan State Police. By February 19, they had him. Police tracked him to 1400 West Vernor which is only about ten minutes away from the murder scene.

The Takeaway

After being taken into custody, Lance Clowney was held for processing and charging. On March 27, he was charged with three counts of First-Degree Premeditated Murder, Assault with Intent to Murder and Felon in Possession of a Firearm.

A motive for the murders has not been disclosed, but Lance Clowney is a known advocate for squatter’s rights. It is believed the dispute may have started when the homeowner attempted to force Clowney to leave his home. Other reports indicate that drugs may have been involved. His next major court date is the Probable Cause Conference on April 8 of this year. He is currently being held without bail in the Wayne County Jail in Detroit.

Jermaine Reed, MFA is an educator and the Editor-in-Chief of TheReedersBlock. Take time to Subscribe. It helps promote independent journalism and the site. Follow him on TikTok, where he has over 9 million views and nearly 1 million likes. Help him get there.

NO HUSTLE LIKE HERS