Man sentenced to decades in prison for murder of popular Bloomfield Hills hairstylist

Jimmy Pickett sentenced to 45-60 years in prison for second-degree murder

Bashar Kallabat (WDIV)

DETROIT – A Detroit man was sentenced Wednesday after being convicted of second-degree murder in the 2020 killing of popular Bloomfield Hills hairstylist Bashar Kallabat.

Jimmy Pickett, 24, was sentenced in Wayne County on Wednesday, July 13, after a jury convicted him last month of second-degree murder in connection with Kallabat’s death. The hairstylist suffered from blunt force trauma to the head on Feb. 11, 2020, at a Detroit motel, officials said.

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Investigators say that at about 10:31 p.m. on that day, Pickett entered Kallabat’s hotel room at JZ Motel and Suites in Detroit, killed the 56-year-old man, took his personal property and left the motel.

Jimmy Jermaine Pickett (WDIV)

Police previously said it was likely Kallabat was using a dating app to meet Pickett. Authorities said Pickett used a ride-hailing company that was paid for by the Kallabat to get to the motel.

Ex-Detroit police Chief James Craig said in 2020 that officials believe the victim and suspect didn’t know one another.

Pickett was arrested and arraigned in 2020. The Detroit man was sentenced Wednesday to 45-60 years in prison for second-degree murder, officials announced.

More: ‘He was magical’: Many in disbelief after nationally known hairstylist found beaten to death at Detroit motel


About the Author

Cassidy Johncox is a senior digital news editor covering stories across the spectrum, with a special focus on politics and community issues.

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