Father trying to find peace with death of his son

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    BURTON, Michigan (WNEM) — A mid-Michigan father is trying to come to terms with the death of his son. Three other teenagers are now facing charges months after their friend died.

Steve Platman has been trying to find words to describe every day since Oct. 24, 2020 at 2:40 a.m.

“It’s not life. This is bad. It’s bad. You know every night you can’t sleep. Every morning you can’t get out of bed because it’s a struggle,” Platman said.

That is when he got a phone call that his 17-year-old son zander smith was dead.

“My kids cry constantly. My wife cries constantly. You know it’s hell,” Platman said.

The Genesee County Prosecutor said Smith was with a group of teens playing Russian Roulette at a home in Burton.

Investigators said the teens were under the influence of drugs and alcohol. During the game Smith held a gun to his head and pulled the trigger.

“To me he was everything you know. He was a great athlete. He was kind, loving. You know he was a normal teenager,” Platman said.

Last week, prosecutor David Leyton charged three teens with involuntary manslaughter. Saying they knew there was a bullet in the chamber and could have prevented Smith’s death.

Two of the boys are 17 and 19 and will be charged as adults. The other is 16 and will be charged as a juvenile.

Platman said there was an adult in the home that should face criminal charges as well.

“When you have teenagers doing whatever in the home if they don’t belong there you contact their parents. You get a hold of the parents. You get them to go home,” Platman said.

Platman said he hopes to meet with the Genesee County prosecutor soon. In the meantime, he is urging all parents to love their kids.

“He’s never coming home. You know we’re never going to hear his voice. We’re never going to get a lot of things,” Platman said.

The Genesee County Deputy Chief Assistant Prosecutor, John Potbury, released a statement about the homeowner Platman would like charged.

“We are very sorry for Mr. Platman’s tragic loss of his son. We have charged felonies against three individuals who were present at the scene when it happened. However, the evidence presented to us by the police simply does not warrant charges against the homeowner for what happened. We have offered to meet with Mr. Platman to review all the evidence and we hope that meeting will happen soon.”

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