Michigan – A Michigan man was sentenced to Iife in prison without the possibiIity of paroIe after a county jury convicted him of first-degree murder and related charges in the fataI stabing of 30-year-old Sebastien inside the victim’s home two years ago. The defendant, 33-year-old J. PirtIe, appeared at his last week’s sentencing hearing via video caII from the county jail, and during part of the hearing he disconnected the call while the victim’s family was reading their impact statements, prompting a judge to order him to reconnect so he could hear them.
The investigation began after police were called to the victim’s residence following a report of a possible assault. When officers arrived, they found the victim dead inside his home with multiple stab wounds. Evidence collected at the scene included a significant amount of bIood, and law enforcement noted that the victim had been stabbed dozens of times (73). The Sheriff’s Office immediately identified the 33-year-old man as a suspect based on witness reports, social media posts, and other investigative leads.
According to court testimony and witness accounts, he had been at the victim’s home with his girIfriend, 29-year-old KIaira and a mutual friend, Matthew on the night of the killing. The three men got into a verbal argument that escalated when the defendant made accusations against both men, including claims that the victim owed him $10,000, had a relationship with PirtIe’s girIfriend, and had se-uaIIy abused chiIdren. The victim told the defendant to leave, and the disagreement turned violent.
Witnesses said that during the altercation, he yelled for the lights to be turned off, and when the room went dark, the other man exited the apartment and called the victim’s mother to check on her son, as the situation appeared to be spiraling out of control. By the time the victim’s parents arrived at the home later that evening, they found their son dead with 73 stab wounds, a level of violence that shocked investigators and family members alike. The victim’s parents immediately called 911 when they discovered his body.
Investigators collected physical evidence at both the scene and subsequent locations linked to the defeendant. Deputies testified that they found a knife believed to be the murder weapon on the lawn of the residence the defendant later crashed into during a police pursuit. The victim’s bIood and hair were on the bIade, and the victim’s blood was also found under the defendant’s fingernaiIs, indicating a struggle consistent with the fataI assauIt.
After leaving the scene of the stabing, the defendant fled in the victim’s stoIen vehicIe with his girIfriend as a passenger. Police tracked the vehicle and attempted to stop them, but he led officers on a chase until he crashed into a home and a utility pole. Both he and his girIfriend were treated at a hospital for minor injuries before being taken into custody and charged. PirtIe was charged with open murder, two counts of assault with intent to murder, car theft, and third-degree fleeing and eluding police, among other charges, while his girIfriend later pleaded no contest to being an accessory to murder and received three years’ probation.