Falicia Blakely, Ameshia Ervin: ‘When Love Kills’ Tragic True-Crime Story — The Real ‘Dino,’ Michael ‘Mike’ Berry & the Book

The Falicia Blakely movie, When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story, debuted on TV One. Inspired by an episode of For My Man, When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story dramatized the tragic tale of 18-year-old Falicia Blakely, an Atlanta dancer who shot and killed three men in Atlanta, Georgia, along with her accomplice, Ameshia Ervin, 15 years earlier. The thrilling true-story television movie was directed by Tasha Smith and written by Cas Sigers-Beedles. It starred Lil Mama as Falicia, Lance Gross as Dino, Tami Roman as Stacey, Tiffany Black as Pumpkin, Walter Fauntleroy as “Q,” and Kendrick Cross as Raymond.

Originally Posted By: Traciy Curry-Reyes August 19, 2017

When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story Tease

A young and inexperienced Falicia Blakely entered the world of exotic dancing and attracted the attention of a dangerous predator named Dino.

Chronicling the turbulent and tumultuous relationship with her mom, When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story showed us the moment Falicia Blakely stormed out of her mother’s house and began working for a man named “Dino,” a dark figure who set her life on a disastrous course.

Falicia Blakely’s Sad True Story

In August of 2002, Falicia Blakely murdered three men: Raymond Goodwin, 34, Claudell ‘Doc’ Christmas, 35, and Lemetrius Twitty, 29. Atlanta investigators said the shootings were all part of an ongoing robbery scam. Falicia Blakely told police the mastermind behind the robberies and murders was Michael ‘Mike’ Berry.

Falicia Blakely’s story began years prior when she lived in Jacksonville, Florida. She didn’t get along with her mother, and their relationship worsened after they moved to Atlanta. There, Falicia Blakely began dancing in local clubs. She had a gorgeous body, and her sensual dance moves drove the men wild. The money and attention also gave her a boost.

However, it all came at a price. Falicia Blakely’s life spiraled downward. She became pregnant by one man who wanted nothing to do with the baby. Then, she met Michael ‘Mike’ Berry, a man she thought loved her until she discovered his true motive. The handsome man who promised to take care of her and the baby wanted Falicia Blakely to work the streets to make him rich.

One Decision Changed Her Life

Mike Berry was the inspiration for Dino’s character in When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story. What stood out the most in this TV One film and in the true story was the level of brainwashing Falicia Blakely endured while she was with Mike (Dino). His manipulation was sophisticated and systematic. At one point, Falicia Blakely didn’t know where her life was headed.

From The Stage to Death Row?

In When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story, it all came to a tragic end for Falicia Blakely and Ameshia Ervin after “Dino” directed them to lure gullible men to the bedroom, promising them a “night of passion.” However, the plan was to rob and kill them. In the true story, the women went on a week-long crime spree targeting fried chicken joints.

They were arrested after police connected the stolen car Falicia Blakely and Ameshia Ervin were driving to one of the dead victims.

After her arrest, a tired and emotionally drained Falicia Blakely confessed. When this all happened, Falicia Blakely was the youngest woman in Georgia to face the death penalty. In the end, she accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

What happened to Falicia could happen to anyone. Michael Berry caught Falicia at just the right time in her life—when she was desperate and in need. He sat back and watched her. Then, he pounced on her like a lion who had just found his prey.

When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story was a gritty and depressing tell-all. However, it was real life, and that was exactly what Tia Smith, Sr. Director of Original Programming at TV One, wanted to convey. During my interview with her, she explained:

“All of it is real life about women who have done these incredible acts in the name of love. That is the tie-in—to know that for love, sometimes we’re only a crazy decision away, where we don’t even recognize who we are. Falicia’s story haunted me. I wanted to show the human side, but I also wanted to show there are consequences.”

The storyline was superb, and the roles were well-acted. It was a bruising account of what could happen to a woman when she chose the wrong man to love.

It appeared the actors of When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story drew upon their own prior pains and life experiences to bring the perfect amount of drama and passion to the roles. American hip-hop artist Lil Mama was perfect as Falicia Blakely; not only was her facial structure similar, but her fiery personality was spot on.

The flawlessly directed script about Falicia Blakely’s life appeared to dramatize the story in a sympathetic light, and it delved into far greater detail than TV One’s For My Man episode. It was believed to be one of the first movies on television based on an African American true crime story, one which didn’t involve a celebrity or sports figure.

TV One had had so much success with the Micki Howard movie and shows like Fatal Attraction, For My Man, and Justice by Any Means that the next natural step was to make a true crime movie, TV One executive Tia Smith said.

“Our crime Monday nights are killing them. We’re really giving alternative programming to the number of things that are on Monday nights that are doing well. It was the same kind of pattern. Why don’t we do a story and make it into a movie from this genre that is exploding for us?”

Falicia Is Still Dancing

As for the real-life Falicia Blakely, she couldn’t change what she did but said she was sorry, author Sereniti Hall told me during an interview the previous week. At the time, the convicted killer was deeply remorseful and hoped her story helped other women.

According to one former inmate who did time with Blakely in prison, Falicia still had beautiful moves. She was a praise dancer for the Lord, and when she wasn’t dancing, she was writing and continuing to inspire the younger inmates with her story.

The man depicted as Dino was never brought to justice for the murders.

When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story originally aired Monday, August 28, at 9/8 p.m. Central on TV One.

Editorial Note: This article was originally published in 2017

The real people credit: prison file photo 

Article 2

‘Mike’ Berry: The Real ‘Dino’ Plus, Falicia Blakely Talks In New Book ‘A Treacherous Hustle’ By Sereniti Hall

Michael Berry was the real “Dino” portrayed in TV One’s true-crime movie When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story. After seeing the film, many would want to know where he was. At the time, he was serving time at the Georgia State Prison for possession charges. 

Falicia Blakely knew him as “Mike.” One very detailed account of the real “Dino” and the events that inspired the film can be found in an old Creative Loafing article available online. Michael “Dino” Berry was never prosecuted for the Atlanta murders. The movie about their lives aired Monday, August 28, at 9 p.m., according to Rolling Out.

The murders of Raymond Goodwin, Claudell “Doc” Christmas, and Lemetrius Twitty occurred in 2002. In 2004, “Dino” (Mike Berry) was arrested on unrelated drug charges, while Falicia Blakely was sentenced to prison for life for the murders, which she said he ordered. Michael Berry’s stints in prison dated back to 1995, perhaps even earlier. He had been in and out of prison since Falicia Blakely was convicted. At the time, Mike Berry was about 47 years old..

Falicia Blakely told Traciy Curry-Reyes exclusively through book writer Sereniti Hall that the man shown in the photo above was definitely the Mike Berry she knew. Over the years, his appearance had changed. Blakely had a collection of letters Mike Berry mailed to her in prison.

The real “Dino” Mike Berry

Falicia Blakely also said she tried to protect Mike Berry. Now, she believed prison was exactly where he needed to be. She made the following statements during an interview with me from prison the previous night through Sereniti Hall.

“He’s where he wants to be. He likes boys, too.”

Michael ‘Mike’ Berry’s level of evil and control still stood out in her mind. According to the For My Man episode, he made her wear a chain necklace with a padlock on it. The necklace was symbolic, yet it sent a clear message that Falicia Blakely should always know her place.

It was one of the reasons that Falicia Blakely wanted her story told. A Treacherous Hustle, the book by Sereniti Hall, was a detailed and sad account of what really happened.

“Falicia Blakely wants everyone to know the entire story not just some of it. The film is only a small piece. There’s so much that people don’t know about her until they read the book. Her story is very sad. You have no clue how sad—even the editor, Linda J Wilson, was crying.”

A post shared by Falicia Blakely (@faliciablakely) on Aug 6, 2017, at 5:07pm PDT

Author Sereniti Hall, whose real name was Dorothy Hall, often visited Falicia Blakely. Here is what she told me.

“We have bonded through conversation and video visits. I feel her pain, and now that I’ve had the chance to get to know her, I can tell that her state of mind was different. I grew up in the streets, and I’ve seen it all. At least, I thought I had until now.”

The Falicia Blakely biographer also told Traciy Curry-Reyes that Falicia’s child was doing well. In the movie, her son was portrayed as her daughter, a detail Falicia Blakely found confusing. At the time, he was a 16-year-old soccer player, and according to Sereniti Hall, he was also well-mannered and intelligent.

To some, Falicia Blakely’s story was too heavy to share with her son, whom she called “Man.” However, she felt it was important for him to know everything that happened. Sereniti Hall said his mother’s life story had done nothing to change the way he felt about his mother.

“She talked with him about everything, meaning the book and the movie. He told her that no matter what, he still loves her.”

In the book, A Treacherous Hustle, some of the real names were changed. “Dino,” aka Mike Berry, was Mark Newberry in the book. The names of the victims were also changed to protect their identities.

According to Hall, Falicia Blakely was happy about the movie and said she’d be watching it from Arrendale State Prison. Sereniti Hall would post updates on her Facebook page when it aired the following Monday night. Fans of When Love Kills could find out more about the Falicia Blakely book at 7 Figures Publications.

[Main Image via Georgia Dept. of Corrections/Falicia Blakely Instagram/Permission Use Granted]