DETROIT – A man was sentenced Wednesday for the brutal beating, strangling and burning of a gay Detroit man in 2013, according to officials.
Hameer Alkotait accepted a plea deal convicting him of second-degree murder and was sentenced to 18-20 years in prison.
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His co-defendant, Andrew Czarnecki, was sentenced to life in prison without parole after a trial in December 2018.
Police said Alkotait and Czarnecki targeted Gambino Rodriguez because he was gay.
During the robbery, the two "savagely beat and strangled" Rodriguez and then burned his body beyond recognition in a Southwest Detroit field, according to authorities.
Fair Michigan President Alanna Maguire released the following statement:
"After six long years, justice has finally been attained for the family of Gabino Rodriguez. These cold-case murder convictions resulted from Detective Kevin Wight and the Detroit Police Department’s tenacious investigation of this brutal crime, and Special Prosecutor Jaimie Powell Horowitz’s determined prosecutions. We are grateful for their efforts, and we are committed to continue the fight for justice for the LGBTQ community in Wayne County."