50-years-to-life sentence for 2012 ‘revenge’ killing, six years after first trial dismissed

A man convicted of a 2012 ‘revenge murder’ — over six years after his first trial was dismissed due to a jury issue — has been sentenced to 50 years to life in prison.

Michael Dushawn Nunally, now 35, was convicted in February for the first-degree murder of Kaster Tezino, who was shot in the back after being lured to a since-closed Motel 6 on the 2000 block of Arden Way, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office news release.

Nunally was first convicted of the murder in 2012, but the ruling was overturned by Judge Sharon Lueras on the basis of jury misconduct. A defense attorney claimed jury members improperly considered data from a cell phone, which had been inaccurately catalogued, according to previous Sacramento Bee reporting.

Nunally was granted a new trial.

Prosecutors said Nunally was a pimp who killed Tezino as revenge for an incident between Tezino and one of Nunally’s prostitutes. The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office said “Nunally was seeking revenge for an assault he believed the victim committed.”

Using information from the dismissed trial, The Bee reported in 2014 that the killing was done in revenge for Tezino allegedly pulling a gun on one of Nunally’s prostitutes.

This story was originally published August 11, 2020 at 1:49 PM.