Bilal Berreni.

DETROIT — Three Detroit men were charged with the murder of a French street artist on Wednesday Sept. 3. Bilal Berreni, 23, was killed in July of last year on the city’s east side. He was identified through his fingerprints months after his death. 

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym L. Worthy issued a press release identifying the suspects as Jasin Reno Curtis, 18, Dionte Darryl Travis, 17, and Drequone Lamar Rich, 20. They were charged with felony murder, armed robbery, felon in possession of a firearm and felony firearm. A 14-year-old male is also expected to be charged with participating in the crime.

“It sickens me that a young, talented artist who had traveled the world to pursue his passion was murdered here, thus reinforcing the stereotypes for many about our city of Detroit,” Worthy said in a statement. “We will do everything that we possibly can under the law to bring the killers of Mr. Berreni to justice.”

Berreni, also known as “Zoo Project”, started covering walls with graffiti and murals when he was just 15. He drew pictures of fallen protesters in the Tunisian uprising in 2011 and traveled to the Libyan-Tunisian border to visually document the suffering of refugees.

Berreni’s father, Mourad Berreni, told the Detroit Free Press his son created artwork with social messages and was drawn to the bankrupt Motor City, which has been troubled by poverty and crime. 

Detroit’s abandoned buildings and neighborhoods are a magnet for street artists from around the world. 

A preliminary court hearing for the suspects is scheduled for Septembe 11.