Detroit Teen Gets 25-40 Years In French Street Artist's Death
DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - A young man who pleaded guilty in the fatal shooting of a 23-year-old French street artist during a robbery outside an abandoned Detroit housing project has been sentenced to 25 to 40 years in prison.
Eighteen-year-old Jasin Curtis learned his punishment Friday in Wayne County Circuit Court, where he earlier pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. The sentence was in line with an agreement with prosecutors and includes two additional years for the use of a firearm during a felony.
"I want to apologize to the victim's family" Curtis said before learning his punishment.
The story made national headlines when 23-year-old Bilal Berreni's body was found July 29, 2013, outside the dilapidated Frederick Douglass Homes — more commonly knows at the Brewster projects. The long vacant housing project has since been demolished.
Berreni, of Paris, had no identification, and it took seven months before police identified him through fingerprints. He died from a gunshot wound to the head.
According to family members, the young artist — who painted large pieces in black and white on buildings — occasionally may have lived as a squatter in vacant structures.
Two other young men, Drequone Rich and Dionte Travis, are charged with first-degree murder in the case. They're scheduled for trial in September. A 14-year-old defendant, whose name has not been made public due to his age, is awaiting a separate trial in juvenile court.
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