BEAUMONT –Dennis Jermaine Booker, 23, of Port Arthur, was sentenced today by a Jefferson County jury to 60 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Booker was found guilty earlier this week of the murder of Xavier Cane of Port Arthur. The murder occurred at a party held at Stonegate Manor apartments August 16, 2014. Booker had been fighting with his girlfriend, who was Cane’s cousin. Cane, 20 years old at the time, stepped in to defend his cousin. While Booker and Cane were fighting, Booker stabbed Cane once through the heart with a kitchen knife. Booker admitted to Port Arthur Police that he stabbed Cane, and a broken knife handle was found in Booker’s pocket.

Prosecutor Luke Nichols stated, “The jury’s guilty verdict and sentence hopefully can bring comfort and justice for the Cane family.”   Xavier Cane left behind a young son, several brothers, his parents, and a large extended family.