In the late hours of a Saturday night in Muskegon, Michigan, a young man's life was cut short in the parking lot of a local liquor store. Charles Christopher Cuti, a 23-year-old male from Nunica, was found lying on the pavement of Sam's Drink All on Getty Street just before 11 p.m. on April 2, 2016. He had sustained a fatal gunshot wound to his torso. Friends and family remembered him as a kind person with a great sense of humor who loved his young daughter. He had been working to overcome a troubled past.
The investigation into Cuti's death quickly led authorities to two suspects: Corey Nathaniel Burt Jr., 22, and Jaylan Deshawn Traviss, 20. Police believe the duo had robbed another man in Muskegon Heights just hours before the deadly encounter with Cuti, stealing his cell phone among other possessions. Using the stolen phone, they allegedly arranged to meet Cuti under the pretense of a drug deal. The motive, according to arrest warrants, was to rob Cuti of drugs.
Corey Burt Jr. was apprehended the day after the shooting in the 700 block of E. Isabella Avenue on several outstanding warrants. He later reportedly confessed to the plan to meet Cuti. While he initially thought they were just going to purchase drugs, he admitted to knowing that his accomplice had other intentions. Prosecutors state that Burt was the driver on the night of the incident. He was charged with open murder and armed robbery and was bound over for trial.
Jaylan Traviss, the man accused of actually shooting Cuti, remained at large for a short period. A search for him ensued, and he was eventually located and arrested in Cincinnati, Ohio, on April 20, 2016. Following his arrest, Traviss was extradited back to Muskegon to face charges of open murder and robbery for his role in the death of Charles Cuti.
