Texas man charged in killing of 2 at Shelby Twp. auto dealership

The business owner and his friend were killed in the Nov. 7 shootings, authorities in Macomb County said.
Authorities believe the motive for the shootings was the suspect being upset about a recent vehicle purchase.
The suspect was arrested at a hotel in Romulus.

This story has been updated to include new information.

A Texas man is accused of killing two men at a Shelby Township auto dealership in a dispute that the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office said was related to a vehicle purchase.

Terrance Jermaine Sandles, 46, of Houston, was arraigned Nov. 10 on two counts of first-degree premeditated murder and 13 other charges in the shootings Nov. 7 at Star Auto Sales on Ryan Road near Auburn Road, according to the prosecutor’s office.

During a news conference Nov. 11, Prosecutor Peter Lucido said two charges, a drug-related offense and a felony firearms charge, were withdrawn because another law enforcement agency is interested in the drugs that were found when Sandles was arrested at a hotel in Romulus.

Sandles is accused of entering the auto sales office and shooting and killing Marvan Batoo, 40, of Shelby Township, and Ghaith Baban, 48, of Clinton Township, during a robbery, according to a prior news release.

During the news conference, aired online by Fox 2 Detroit, Township Police Chief Robert Shelide said Sandles didn’t go into the business to rob, but to kill the owner, Batoo, after a dispute about a $3,000 Hummer that Sandles bought about five weeks earlier that he “thought was a lemon.”

Shelide said Baban, who was married with children, was a friend of Batoo’s and was believed to be at the business to purchase some vehicles from Batoo, who was married with three children under age 5.

An employee, who was out buying parts, returned to the office, found the pair with gunshot wounds and notified authorities. The employee said Sandles had a dispute with the business regarding a vehicle purchase. Investigators identified Sandles through the vehicle, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Shelide said investigators learned a man came into the business about three weeks ago, arguing and making threats to the owner regarding the sale of the Hummer, which the man bought for about $3,000. Shelide said the two went back and forth, arguing about the vehicle, and at some point the man dropped it off and left it there.

Shelide said surveillance video showed the murder suspect, who wore dark clothes and a mask, enter the business and shoot Batoo and Baban at point-blank range. He then walked away “very coolly,” Shelide said. He said the men were dead at the scene and five 9mm shell casings were found in the office.

Shelide said investigators tracked the suspect through closed-circuit video and other cameras that caught images of the suspected getaway vehicle, which was a rental. He said they determined the person who rented the vehicle was the same person who bought the Hummer a few weeks earlier.

Shelide said Sandles was caught on surveillance video entering the hotel about an hour after the killing wearing the same clothes and shoes as the murder suspect.

Sandles was arrested Nov. 8 at the hotel in Romulus near Detroit Metro Airport. Investigators recovered evidence linking him to the crime and found a large amount of cocaine.

Shelide said Sandles was lying in bed with a handgun and another gun was found on the dresser. He said he believes police found the gun used in the shootings, cash taken from the business and other evidence tying Sandles to the slayings.

Sandles was ordered held in the Macomb County Jail without bond after arraignment in 41A District Court in Shelby Township. He pleaded not guilty, according to online court records, which listed no attorney for him, but indicated a petition for a court-appointed attorney was filed.

According to court records, Sandles was also facing two counts of armed robbery and one count each of delivery/manufacture of controlled substances (narcotics or cocaine) 50-224 grams; firearms possession by a prohibited person; ammunition possession by a prohibited person, and carrying a concealed weapon as well as seven counts of a felony firearm offense. The drug charge and a felony firearm charge have been withdrawn, Lucido said.

A probable cause conference is set for Nov. 24 and he has a Dec. 1 preliminary exam. Online jail records indicates there is a hold on Sandles for an assault charge in Texas. Shelide said police believe Sandles came to Michigan after he fled the warrant for him in Texas.

During arraignment, Elisha Oakes, an assistant county public defender, said Sandles has been living in a hotel in Romulus, has five children to support and has some past criminal history, according to video of the arraignment aired on WXYZ-TV (Channel 7). Prosecutors, however, said Sandles has a substantial criminal history.

Batoo was resident agent and president of Star Auto Sales Inc., according to online records with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.

A GoFundMe page was set up for Baban’s family by organizer Sameer Najeeb, of Clinton Township, who wrote in the post that Baban was a “great man and an even greater father to his kids and family” and his death was a shock to friends and family.

Contact Christina Hall: [email protected]. Follow her on X: @challreporter.

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