Detroit – One of the men convicted for the murder of French street artist Bilal Berreni was sentenced on Thursday.
Dionte Travis was one of four involved in the early-morning ‘211 turns into a 187’ (robbery that escalated to death).
Travis found out from Judge Bruce Morrow that he was given a sentence of 30 to 60 years with credit for 477 days served (a little of a year off for time already served).
An appeal is planned says his lawyer.
Berreni was found dead outside of a vacant Brewster-Douglass Projects building July 4, 2013.
It took months to identify Berreni through fingerprints. His backpack, debit cards and $300 was taken from him.
Why would he bring $300 to a vacant Brewster project building? The murder was despicable but the robbery was expected, right?
Advice, if you’re hanging around in an abandon building, expect to get robbed. Keep a $10 or 2 on you and expect to lose it. $300, dem boys was like ‘where da rest at?’.
Back to how this man died senselessly.
An autopsy showed that Berreni’s spine, ribs, and arms had been fractured. Lacerations were found on multiple organs and a close range gunshot wound was found on his head.
The crime was committed by four people. Jasin Curtis, 18, Dionte Travis, 17, Drequone Rich, 20, and an unnamed 14-year-old.
It was announced that they were arrested more than a year after the crime in the fall of 2014.
They were charged with felony murder, armed robbery, felon in possession of a firearm and felony firearm. The juvenile is being treated as an adult and is charged with felony murder and armed robbery.
When the juvenile was asked by the police why he and the others robbed and killed Berreni, he said it was because he needed money. He spent the $50 he received on weed and junk food.
The juvenile also said that as three of the robbers walked away, Travis shot Berreni in the head.
Curtis was convicted and sentenced in June to 25 to 40 years for second-degree murder.
Rich pleaded guilty and was sentenced in September to 23 to 40 years for second-degree murder.
