WARREN, Mich. (WXYZ) — Family and friends of Mucari Finley, the 29-year-old man who was fatally stabbed in Warren, gathered at the house where he was killed Saturday to honor his memory and reclaim the site where he died.
Finley was killed on December 12 inside a home on Westminster Avenue in Warren. The person accused of killing him was arrested that day after an hours-long standoff with police.
"We felt that it was important that we as his family and his friends and his loved ones come back here to reclaim that because we don't want those events and that individual to be the person that defined who Mucari was," said Stanley Wright, Finley's father.
Wright led the vigil for his son Saturday.
"Mucari was a sweet, caring person, just all around fun, bubbly, always laughing," Wright said.
Finley was allegedly killed by 30-year-old Dominick Robinson. Robinson, who identifies as a transgender woman and also goes by "Nickyy Pop," live streamed from the crime scene during the hours-long standoff with police.
During the livestream, Robinson claimed Finley sold drugs to her boyfriend leading to his death earlier this year. However, Warren police and the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office have not confirmed those allegations.
Finley's family and friends say he wasn't into drugs and they believe he was "catfished" by Robinson.
"We're very thankful to law enforcement for taking that person alive because I definitely felt like just as Mucari didn't deserve to die, that person didn't deserve to die," Wright said.
I'm told Finley was a beloved chef and recently worked at a new restaurant in Birmingham.
"He had a lot going on for himself and it was motivational for me to do more. He was an amazing chef, always wanted more, he loved the food scene in Detroit," said Candice Wroblewski, Finley's friend.
Meanwhile, Dominick Robinson has been charged with first-degree, premeditated murder and will be back in court Tuesday.
Wright says he wants people to remember his son for who he actually was and not how he died.
"He just always made everyone laugh, he was always trying to make everyone else feel better. It was always hard to have a bad day being around Mucari," Wright said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
