DETROIT (WWJ) – A Detroit man has been sentenced to decades behind bars for the beating death of a nationally renowned hair stylist at a Detroit motel in 2020.
Jimmy Jermaine Pickett on Wednesday was sentenced to 45-60 years in prison for second-degree murder.
The 24-year-old is accused of fatally beating 56-year-old Bashar Kallabat at the JZ Motel on Eight Mile Road on Feb. 11, 2020.
Kallabat owned the Bashar Artiste salon in Birmingham and was well-known for his work.
Pickett was charged back in February, just over two years after Kallabat’s death. He was convicted last month on second-degree murder. He was initially charged with first-degree premeditated murder.
Authorities say Pickett used a ride share service, paid for by Kallabat, to meet him at the motel around 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 11, 2020.
Officials believe the men met on a dating app.
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Authorities say Pickett went into the motel room, beat Kallabat, robbed him and fled the scene.
A motel employee found Kallabat in a pool of blood with severe blunt force trauma to his head.
Pickett was taken into custody near Brewery Park, caught on HD security video and identified in part by his distinctive security guard work uniform.
Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor LaDonna Logan prosecuted the case for the Fair Michigan Justice Project, which is a collaboration between the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office and Fair Michigan Foundation, Inc., headed by President Alanna Maguire.
The program assists Michigan law enforcement officers and prosecutors in solving serious crimes against lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender persons.
“The brutal murder of Bashar Kallabat shows the very real danger facing LGBTQ people, and the necessity of our work at Fair Michigan,” Maguire said. We commend the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office and especially APA LaDonna Logan for her work to secure this conviction.”
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