WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. – A man who denies murdering a West Bloomfield woman found in the trunk of a burned car was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison.
Dianna Pesserl was shot and killed in December 2016 while in a car at her quiet West Bloomfield subdivision.
Pesserl's body and the car were set on fire and found behind the subdivision on the playground of a closed school.
DeSean Smith was convicted in the killing. His friend, Jaylen Stringer, who lived right down the street from Pesserl, was convicted of helping Smith cover it up.
On Wednesday afternoon, inside a packed Oakland County courtroom, Smith was defiant until the end.
"I didn't kill the lady," Smith said.
"Your peers say you did," the judge said. "You are guilty.
The judge brought the gavel down and sentenced Smith to life in prison without parole. He didn't show any remorse or offer an apology.
He only promised to family members that he would keep in touch from prison.
"I'll holler at Y'all," Smith said.