Teen Convicted In Slaying Of French Street Artist In Detroit
DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - A 15-year-old boy is the fourth to be convicted of murder in the fatal shooting in Detroit of a 23-year-old French street artist.
Juvenile Court Judge Christopher Dingell convicted the teen, whose name will not be released due to his age, on Wednesday.
The Detroit News reported the boy ran to the rear of the courtroom while wearing handcuffs. He said he wanted to say goodbye to his sister. The judge alerted security and deputies responded..
The teen wasn't accused of pulling the trigger. But the judge says the boy, who was 13 years old at the time, knew that others wanted to rob someone after losing a dice game.
Dingell has flexibility in deciding a sentence because of the teen's age.
Three others — 17-year-old Dionte Travis, 18-year-old Jasin Curtis and 20-year-old Drequone Rich — have been convicted in the case.
The story made news nationwide when Bilal Berreni's body was found July 29, 2013, outside the dilapidated Frederick Douglass Homes — more commonly knows at the Brewster projects.
It was determined that the young artist, formerly of Paris, France, had died from a gunshot wound to the head, but no I.D. was found on his body. It took Michigan State Police seven months to identify him through fingerprints.
According to family members, Berreni — who painted large pieces in black and white on buildings — had been living in Detroit at the time of his death, occasionally squatting in vacant buildings.
The Brewster projects have since been demolished.
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