Eastpointe

Man charged in driving death of Eastpointe children

By Sara Kandel
C & G Staff Writer

DETROIT — After being released from a local hospital on June 27, a Shelby Township man was charged with second-degree murder in 36th District Court for his role in a traffic accident that caused the death of two Eastpointe children.

Police say David Lamberson, 63, was drinking on Jan. 8 when he drove head-on into a car near Hoover and Seven Mile in Detroit. Alana Lee, 9, and Levale Harvey Jr., 2, were killed in the accident.

Lamberson is also being charged with drunken driving causing death. Early reports indicated his blood-alcohol level at the time of the accident was twice the legal limit, and opiates were found in his system. However, a representative from the Detroit Police Department was unable to confirm those reports.

Arlita Lee was on the way to her father’s house with her family when the accident occurred. Alana passed away a few days later at the hospital. Levale was killed on impact.

Alana, who family and friends described as friendly and creative, was recognized in the Macomb County Public Works Environmental Calendar art contest shortly after her death. Her parents attended the event to receive her award.

It was a difficult night for them, but they said they had to attend because winning the contest meant so much to Alana.

There, Arlita Lee and Levale Harvey spoke to the Eastsider about what they were going through.

“As a parent you live through your rearview,” Harvey said. “Every time I’m in the car, I look up to check on them, but they aren’t there. It’s like a (bad) dream that you’re just waiting to wake up from.”

“You never wake up from it,” Lee said. “It’s like every day you come home — well, you try to come home as little as possible —but you come home and all of their stuff is there. I haven’t packed anything up, so I come home, and it’s like I have expectations that they are going to be there, but they aren’t.”

For Lee and Harvey, going to jail isn’t punishment enough for the man who stole the lives of their beloved children.

“I don’t have any kind words to say to him,” Lee said while Lamberson remained hospitalized from injuries from the accident.

“Even if he gets through to going to jail, every morning he’s going to wake up; he’s going to eat his breakfast. He might not like his living conditions but he’s still alive, and my kids don’t have that opportunity to get up in the morning. Even if he goes to jail for the rest of his life, however long it may be, he still has that opportunity to get up and breathe life every day.

“I didn’t get a chance to see them walk across the stage,” Lee added. “I’m never going to see my son go to his first day of school. I’m never going to see my daughter graduate and all her accomplishments and the things she works so hard for. She was a straight-A student. She worked hard for everything. She was a good kid.”

Lamberson was scheduled to be in court on July 10 for a preliminary exam, but that date was postponed and a new date was not released by press time. The Eastsider will continue to follow this story as developments occur.
 

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Sara Kandel at skandel@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1030.