GENESEE COUNTY — A 38-year-old Flint Township man has been convicted of killing his roommate with a machete in February 2022.
Terrence Joseph Haywood, 38, was found guilty by a jury on Wednesday, Oct. 1, for the killing of Cole Campbell, 34, according to court records.
Haywood stabbed his roommate with the machete multiple times sometime on either Feb. 1 or 2, 2022, Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said.
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On Feb. 1, 2022, Campbell had made several claims to his mother and ex-girlfriend that Haywood had been swinging machetes around their home for 48 hours and claiming to be God, according to testimony at trial and police reports.
Campbell met with police at a McDonald’s where he shared the same information and expressed concerns for his safety, Leyton said. Police offered to give him an escort home, but he declined, the prosecutor stated.
The next day, Feb. 2, 2022, after not being able to reach her son, Campbell’s mother called police to request a welfare check.
Upon arriving at the residence, officers observed blood on the porch and throughout the residence along with several machetes. While police were at the residence, Haywood provided them with evasive explanations, Leyton said.
During police interviews, Haywood described a dream where he was chasing after Campbell as his roommate ran away, acting like a victim, toward Mitson Boulevard.
On Feb. 4, 2022, searchers located Campbell’s frozen body at 1451 Mitson Blvd., in the precise location Haywood had described. The autopsy confirmed that Campbell died from multiple sharp-force injuries consistent with machete strikes.
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Haywood testified at trial, offering a version of events similar to what he had previously reported to police during the investigation. According to the prosecutor, Haywood claimed he had received messages instructing him to murder his roommate in order to protect his sister and her children.
Campbell had previously dated Haywood’s sister and the two shared children together.
On the night of the incident, Haywood testified he told Campbell about the messages and asked Campbell to kill him instead, even giving him a machete.
Campbell refused and dropped the machete that Haywood had given him, Leyton said.
Haywood then picked up the weapon and brutally attacked Campbell, inflicting severe and fatal slash and cut wounds. He testified that he followed Campbell to the location on Mitson Boulevard where his body was later found.
“This was one of the more unusual homicide cases I have seen given the weapon that was used and the way the events unfolded,” Leyton said.
The prosecutor credited the Flint Township Police and his staff at the prosecutor’s office for their efforts in seeing the case through to justice.
Haywood will be sentenced Monday, Oct. 27. He faces up to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
