SOUTHFIELD – A 24-year-old man will spend decades in prison for killing his younger sister several years ago and attempting to conceal the weapon he used.
Gyasi Stribling was sentenced to 40 to 60 years in prison on Tuesday, May 27, for first-degree murder and two years for a felony firearm charge in the death of 8-year-old Bailei Singleton, according to WJBK. In April, a jury convicted Stribling.
According to prosecutors, Stribling was 20 years old in January 2021 when he shot his sister “because she was ‘talking back’ to him in the living room of their home.”
Stribling allegedly lied to authorities after the shooting, telling them that his sister was shot when someone tried to break in. The defendant allegedly attempted to conceal the weapon he used.
Southfield Police Chief Elvin Barren told WJBK that investigators determined the shooting was not an accident.
Following the defendant’s conviction, Oakland County Prosecuting Attorney Karen McDonald stated, “Bailei Singleton should still be here with us today,” and that her murder was a tragedy for her family.
It is unconscionable that anyone, let alone an 8-year-old child, could be murdered by a relative in their own home over a minor disagreement. Unfortunately, this case serves as a reminder of how gun violence is a public health epidemic that can take someone is life in an instant.