Basim 'Basil' Sulaka, a 51-year-old Chaldean man, was a beloved figure in his Clinton Township, Michigan, community. A husband and father to two daughters, he was the proud owner of the Moon Lite Party Store on Harper Avenue, a business he had run for nearly two decades. Known to his customers and friends as 'Sweet Basil,' he was described as a kind and gentle man who would give the shirt off his back to anyone in need.
Having recently survived a battle with cancer, his family and community were tragically unprepared for the violent end he would meet.
On the evening of March 28, 2014, three masked men entered the Moon Lite Party Store in what would be a fatal armed robbery. The entire incident, lasting only a minute and 45 seconds, was captured by the store's surveillance cameras. During the robbery, Basim Sulaka was shot in the back with a 9 mm handgun as he emerged from an office inside his store. The assailants then ransacked the business, emptying the cash register before fleeing the scene. The motive for this brutal act appeared to be for the small amount of cash in the drawer. The violent and senseless nature of the crime sent shockwaves through the community, leaving his family to grapple with a loss they never imagined.
The investigation into Sulaka's murder led to the arrests of four young men. Clinton Rayshawn Grayson, 24, Darius Diaz Gaskin, 24, Kenneth Hill, 26, and Jomar Robinson, 25, were charged with felony murder, armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, and felony firearm. Gaskin was identified as the shooter, though he claimed the shooting was unintentional, stating he meant to strike Sulaka with the gun but it discharged accidentally. Grayson was also armed during the robbery, while Robinson was tasked with gathering the money. Hill served as the getaway driver, waiting in a nearby car. After the robbery, the men reportedly argued and blamed each other for the shooting, each taking only $200 from the robbery.
The legal proceedings brought some measure of closure to Sulaka's grieving family and community. Clinton Grayson was the first to be tried and was convicted in April 2015, receiving a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. In June 2015, a jury found Darius Diaz-Gaskin, Kenneth Hill, and Jomar Robinson guilty on all counts, including first-degree murder. Despite their admissions to planning the robbery, their claims of not intending to kill Sulaka did not sway the jury. All three men were subsequently sentenced to life in prison without parole. While the defendants expressed remorse during their trials, the sentences ensured that the men responsible for the untimely and violent death of a cherished community member would be held accountable for their actions.
