Saginaw County Man to be Sentenced for First-Degree Murder

After pleading guilty to open murder last week, a judge has ruled a Saginaw County man’s conviction will be that of first-degree murder.

On April 20, 2020, 52-year-old Lenerd James waited in his wife Vernida Hicks’ vehicle while she was at working at Healthsource in Saginaw Township. When she got into the vehicle after work, James stabbed her to death.

After initially pleading not guilty to killing Hicks, James changed his plea to guilty last week. Saginaw County Circuit Court Judge James Borchard made his ruling Tuesday. A first-degree murder charge carries a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole.

James will be sentenced at a later date.