Three Defendants Given Life in Prison For Murder of Family Dollar Security Officer
Flint MI January 18, 2023 Three defendants in the fatal shooting of a security officer at the 5th Avenue Family Dollar store in Flint were sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Husband and wife Larry and Sharmel Teague, and Sharmel Teague’s son, Ramonyea Bishop, were each ordered to spend the rest of their lives in prison by Genesee Circuit Court Judge Brian S. Pickell for their roles in the shooting death of Calvin Munerlyn in May 2020.
The three defendants were previously convicted of first-degree premeditated murder, a crime that carries a mandatory punishment of life in prison without parole, following a trial the spanned several weeks.
“I’ve never seen three more deserving individuals receive life in prison,” Matthew Smith, the assistant prosecuting attorney handling the case at sentencing, said.
Munerlyn was shot on May 1, 2020, inside the store.
The Teagues, as well as Bishop and Brya Bishop, a fourth codefendant in the case and sister of Ramonyea Bishop, were each charged in the case.
Brya Bishop was convicted by plea and sentenced in November to time served and probation for her role in the case.
According to testimony offered at trial, Brya Bishop went to the Family Dollar store with Sharmel Teague prior to the shooting taking place.
Surveillance video from inside the store played at trial showed Munerlyn arguing with Teague. The argument escalated when it appeared she spit on him, prompting him to chase her into the parking lot where he tackled her to the ground twice.
After the fight, Brya Bishop and Sharmel Teague left the store in a red GMC Envoy. Before they left, a witness testified at trial, Teague told Munerlyn they would be back.
Teague and Bishop then drove to a home on Atherton Road. From there, they left to go to Bishop’s home just north of the Family Dollar store.
Prosecutors said the 20-minute span between when the assault and the homicide took place was when plans surrounding the shooting were made based on call logs that showed communications between the defendants.
Ramonyea Bishop was dropped off on 2nd Avenue before getting back into the Envoy only to be dropped off closer to the Family Dollar store. Larry Teague was dropped off in the parking area of high-rise apartments, near the Rally’s restaurant on Saginaw Street.
Sharmel Teague and Brya Bishop drove back to Brya Bishop’s apartment. Minutes later, Larry Teague returned to the address.
Video inside the Family Dollar shows Ramonyea Bishop walking into the store first. Minutes later, Larry Teague enters.
As Munerlyn approaches an animated Larry Teague, Bishop approaches Munerlyn from behind and shoots him in the head.
A jury on Nov. 10 convicted the Teagues and Ramonyea Bishop of first-degree premeditated murder and felony firearm.
Brya Bishop pleaded no contest to the charges filed against her before trial. The plea was a Cobbs Agreement reached between Bishop’s attorney, Pete Philpott, and Pickell.
Tuesday’s sentencing took place in the courtroom that once belonged to former circuit judge F. Kay Behm, a room much smaller than the courtroom where the three defendants’ trial occurred.
Friends and family filled the small courtroom, with loved ones of the victim and the defendants seated closely together. Added security was present in the form of nine members of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office.
The hearing was delayed by more than 40 minutes when Larry Teague fired his attorney, opting to “speak for himself.”
“I fired him,” Larry Teague said. “It’s on the record so it’s official.”
He spoke up a few times, asking where Khary Hanible, the assistant prosecuting attorney who originally handled the case at trial, was. Hanible was recently appointed as a Genesee County Circuit Court judge. He also asked for copies of court documents that he didn’t immediately possess.
When asked if there were any issues with the pre-sentence investigation report, Larry Teague said “all of it.”
Prior to being sentenced, Teague questioned Pickell on a number of issues that the judge said he didn’t understand.
“I’m not on trial here,” Pickell retorted.
The judge ultimately dismissed Teague from the courtroom, sentencing him outside the presence of the defendant.
