Man sentenced in 'Chef Doug' murder 60-100 years

DETROIT (WJBK) - The man found guilty of murdering Douglas Calhoun, better known as Chef Doug in the community, is heading to prison for life. 

Travun Baskerville was sentenced to 60-100 years Tuesday for both second-degree murder and a human trafficking offense. As the judge explained the consecutive sentencing -- that means he won't be eligible for parole until 120 years from now. Baskerville was found guilty on five other charges last month, too.

Calhoun's brother and sister spoke at the sentencing, as well as the teen girl who was in a relationship with Baskerville at the time of the murder. Calhoun had contacted that teen for sex on Backpage.com, and after they met up they eventually got into an argument about using a condom. The girl testified that's when Baskerville emerged from a bedroom, confronted Calhoun and killed him.

"I wonder if that (Backpage.com) advertisement showed that these men were coming to have sex with a child?" Judge Qiana Lillard wondered during sentencing. "You had this 17-year-old girl like she was your slave."

The defense said in court the girl wasn't a victim of human trafficking and that she was actually one of the shooters involved in Calhoun's death. Multiple weapons were proven to be involved, though none were ever found. 

After Calhoun's death, his body was put in a trashcan and left inside an abandoned house. As Calhoun's sister noted in court, his family was in agony for 37 days while they prayed for his return before they learned what had happened. 

Meanwhile, Baskerville was arrested on an unrelated charge. From jail, he had phone conversations with the girlfriend that, the judge said, ultimately led to his conviction in Calhoun's murder. 

"It was your own words that hurt you the most in this case, according to the jury," the judge said. She said, despite Baskerville's attempts to get around the jail recording system, he was heard on phone calls saying to the girlfriend, "If you keep talking, you're going to make yourself an accessory," and asking her, "Did you tell on me?" 

In his pretrial, the prosecution also played a recording that alleged he said to her, "Before I let anything happen to you, I will take everything, you hear me? I take all the charges. I will do life before I let you anywhere near this mother------- place, do you hear me?" 

Baskerville was eventually charged in August of 2017 with second-degree murder -- and human trafficking. When he was arraigned, the human trafficking charges seemed to come as a surprise. The teen confessed to police that she met Baskerville when she was 16 and he was 25. They needed money so she said he took pictures of her in her underwear and started selling her for sex online.

"... You, a monster, who thinks that he can own another person and force her to sell herself and thinks another human being can be shot and killed and thrown away like a piece of trash," the judge said to Baskerville before handing down the sentence. He was also ordered to pay restitution to the family for Calhoun's funeral.

Baskerville didn't address Calhoun's family at the sentencing, but did speak in court to say thank you to his lawyer and for the opportunity to get a fair trial. 

Calhoun was 39 when he went missing and was later found dead. He was a Marine who had been honorably discharged, and his family said he was always the life of the party. His siblings said he volunteered and taught kids in the community how to cook for themselves, and that he wanted to own a banquet hall one day.