A family was torn apart after an eight-year-old girl was shot and killed by her own brother. After a devastating investigation, Southfield, Mich. police uncovered the motivation behind the murder, and now, justice has been served.
It’s been four years since Bailei Singleton was killed in her own home. When officials arrived to the Detroit-area apartment complex in January 2021, they found Singleton suffering from a gunshot to her head, according to FOX 2. Her brother, Gyasi Arnez Stribling, was just 20 years old at the time, but police quickly focused their investigation on him.
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Southfield police said Stribling was being “uncooperative” when police arrived to the scene, according to WDIV. Police said he allegedly made up a story claiming his sister had been shot during an attempted robbery. According to officials, he also hid the gun used in the shooting. Police found the weapon nearby.
Singleton was rushed to a nearby hospital where she remained in critical condition after the incident. She died days later on Jan. 7, according to a media conference.
Stribling was arrested after the shooting. His charges were upgraded after the eight-year-old was pronounced dead. “I do not want this individual released. This was a heinous crime,” Police Chief Elvin Barren said. “It should not have happened and I’m confident in this case that this person will serve time in prison.”
He added the details behind the Stribling’s alleged motivation were “disturbing.” Later, it was revealed during his trial he shot his little sister because she was “talking back” to him, according to Law and Crime.
Last month, a jury found the now-24-year-old guilty of first-degree murder. “Bailei Singleton should still be here with us today,” Prosecutor Karen McDonald wrote in a statement. “Her murder was a tragedy for her family. It’s unconscionable that anyone, let alone an 8-year-old child, could be murdered by a relative and in their own home over the slightest of disagreements.”
She continued adding, “This case is, unfortunately, a reminder of how gun violence is a public health epidemic that can end a life in an instant.” On Tuesday (May 27), he was sentenced to 40 to 60 years behind bars, FOX 2. An extra two years were added for a felony firearm charge.
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