Two Flint Men Convicted in Separate Violent Cases

Two Flint men were convicted in separate Genesee County cases. Brandon Malandus Packnett was found guilty of assault with a dangerous weapon, unlawful imprisonment and felony-firearm charges after trying to restrain a woman with leg shackles in February 2025 and pointing a gun at a couple who came to help; he is scheduled for sentencing Dec. 18. Deandre Montrell Arrington was convicted of first-degree premeditated murder and related firearm offenses in the 2020 drive-by shooting deaths of Belinda Hart, 45, and her 9-month-old grandson, Romelo Jones Jr., at a Flint home. Prosecutors said the shooting was retaliation for an earlier homicide and more than 100 shell casings were recovered; evidence linked gunfire to a white SUV, and Arrington fled after a state trooper stopped the vehicle, with investigators later finding three firearms along the pursuit route. Arrington is scheduled for sentencing Jan. 11, 2027, and the murder convictions carry mandatory life imprisonment without parole.