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Jury Hung On Murder Charge In French Street Artist Slaying In Detroit

DETROIT (AP/WWJ) - A jury failed to reach a verdict on a murder charge, but did convict a Detroit man of armed robbery in connection with the slaying of a 23-year-old French street artist.

The hung jury led a Wayne County Circuit judge to declare a mistrial Monday for 18-year-old Dionte Travis. Travis faces a new trial on felony murder and gun charges.

The story made national headlines when Bilal Berreni's body was found July 29, 2013, outside the dilapidated Frederick Douglass Homes — more commonly knows at the Brewster projects.

No identification or passport was found on the Paris resident, who'd been shot in the head, and it took Michigan State Police seven months to identify him through fingerprints. According to family members, the young artist — who painted large pieces in black and white on buildings — occasionally lived as a squatter in vacant structures.

The long vacant housing project has since been demolished.

Travis' armed robbery sentencing date will be set Tuesday. A pretrial conference is scheduled Thursday to set a new trial on the other charges.

Co-defendants Drequone Rich and Jasin Curtis have already pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Berreni's death. Another suspect who was 13 at the time of the killing faces trial later this year. His name has not been released due to his age.

TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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