Benton Harbor men sentenced for gun crimes after feud, murder

Katie Rosendale
·2 min read

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Three Benton Harbor men will spend years in federal prison for gun crimes after an apparent feud turned deadly, the U.S. Attorney’s Office says.

In August 2023, a jury convicted three men — 26-year-old Mark Curtis Jr., 22-year-old Jordan Allen and 25-year-old Calvin Hill — of being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to a Wednesday release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan.

Now, each man will spend years in prison. Curtis was sentenced to 15 years, Allen to 8 years and Hill to 46 months, the office announced Wednesday.

At sentencing, the judge found that Curtis “possessed his gun in connection with first-degree premeditated murder,” the attorney’s office says.

During the trial, witnesses said Hill was feuding with another Benton Harbor man, according to the release. On Sept. 10, 2022, the attorney’s office says the three men met at Hill’s apartment. Investigators say they found pictures of their guns on the kitchen table, with Hill wiping off rounds of ammunition.

Investigators say they found pictures from Sept. 10, 2022, of the three men's guns on Calvin Hill's kitchen table, with Hill wiping off rounds of ammunition. (Courtesy U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Michigan)
Investigators say they found pictures from Sept. 10, 2022, of the three men’s guns on Calvin Hill’s kitchen table, with Hill wiping off rounds of ammunition. (Courtesy U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan)

The next morning, the man with whom Hill was apparently feuding was found dead with gunshot wounds to his neck, abdomen and hand, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The office did not release the victim’s name.

Data from Hill’s Snapchat allegedly indicates he was two blocks north of the victim just minutes before the first 911 call came in.

Around 10 a.m. that morning, Allen confirmed the death with someone else, the attorney’s office says.

“They brung him back to life?” Allen allegedly messaged another person, according to the office.

“Hell naw,” the person allegedly responded.

Messages allegedly sent and received by Jordan Allen on Sept. 11, 2022. (Courtesy U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Michigan)
Messages allegedly sent and received by Jordan Allen on Sept. 11, 2022. (Courtesy U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan)

The attorney’s office told News 8 nobody has been charged with the murder at this point.

“Gun violence is an epidemic here in Michigan and across the country that inflicts immense trauma on our communities,” U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said in a statement. “We’ll never prosecute our way out of this epidemic, but accountability is critical.”

The FBI, Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety, Berrien County Sheriff’s Department, Benton Township Police Department, Michigan State Police and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives helped investigate the case, according to the attorney’s office.

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