Jury Acquits Man in 2023 Grand Rapids Murder Case Where Victim Was Ambushed and Shot Multiple Times
Jury finds Tyriq Bettison not guilty of all charges in the 2023 murder of Darryl Yarber, who was ambushed and shot eight times in the Burton Heights neighborhood.
Man Found Not Guilty in Execution-Style Killing of Darryl Yarber
A Grand Rapids man was acquitted of all charges Thursday in a murder trial where prosecutors alleged he lured a friend to his execution.
Tyriq Bettison, 27, was found not guilty of first-degree premeditated murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree premeditated murder in the death of Darryl Yarber.
The jury deliberated for about three hours before a verdict was reached, defense attorney Damian Nunzio told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press.
Testimony concluded Wednesday in Kent County Circuit Court with the prosecution resting its case. The defense rested Thursday without calling any witnesses.
The Shooting
Yarber was fatally shot on Nov. 6, 2023, in the Burton Heights neighborhood.
A photo taken Nov. 6, 2023, and recovered from Tyriq Bettison's cell phone shows Darryl Yarber sitting on a vehicle in a Grand Rapids neighborhood. In the background, Dominike Sterling is approaching Yarber as he prepares to open fire on Yarber.
The photo was shown to jurors during Bettison's trial in Kent County Circuit Court on Thursday, March 26, 2026.
Yarber was sitting on the hood of a vehicle on Horton Avenue SE where an armed Dominike Sterling awaited to open fire. Sterling wanted Yarber dead for personal reasons.
Witness Testimony
Yarber testified against Sterling in a 2017 bank robbery case that sent Sterling to prison.
Sterling ambushed Yarber, firing a dozen gunshots. Yarber was hit eight times.
Sterling was convicted of first-degree murder, among other charges, at a separate trial. He is serving life in prison without possibility of parole.
The Trial
Tyriq Bettison, 27, appeared in Kent County Circuit Court for the conclusion of testimony in a murder trial on Thursday, March 26, 2026.
Bettison is charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the 2023 shooting death of Darryl Yarber.
The story was reported by Bradley Massman for MLive/The Grand Rapids Press.
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