Duraid Aziz 'Dave' Lossia, a 59-year-old man, was killed during an apparent robbery on December 28, 2013, at Tom's Party Store in Farmington Hills, Michigan. A customer discovered Lossia's body lying in a pool of blood behind the counter of the store, located on Inkster near 8 Mile Road. He had been shot in the face and was pronounced dead at the scene. Lossia was a husband and father, and was described as a popular and well-loved figure in the community.
The investigation into Lossia's murder quickly led police to a suspect. Two days after the shooting, a 43-year-old Detroit man named Cassalle Nettles was arrested in connection with the crime. Physical evidence, including fingerprints found on several items left at the party store, linked Nettles to the scene. The fingerprints matched the last sale made at the store on the day of the murder. Although the security cameras inside the store were not working, Nettles was captured on surveillance footage from nearby businesses around the time of the killing. Prosecutors believe Nettles feigned a purchase of chips and a drink to get Lossia to open the cash register, at which point he shot him and stole the large bills.
Cassalle Nettles, who had a lengthy criminal history including convictions for armed robbery, drugs, and weapons offenses, was charged with first-degree felony murder, armed robbery, and various weapons charges. In September 2014, a jury found Nettles guilty on all counts. The following month, he was sentenced to mandatory life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of Duraid Lossia. During the preliminary hearing, Lossia's daughter provided emotional testimony, translating the register receipts from her father's final moments. The courtroom was filled with 22 members of the Lossia family, who mourned the loss of their loved one while seeking justice.
