In the late hours of a Monday in Bennettsville, South Carolina, the life of 36-year-old Javonta Dease was tragically cut short. On May 16, 2016, Marlboro County Sheriff's deputies were called to a residence on Grace Heights around 11 p.m. following reports of a shooting. Upon their arrival, they discovered Dease near the door of the home, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
The investigation that followed revealed the home was being operated as an illegal 'poker house,' containing
several video poker and gaming machines. Authorities believe the incident was the result of a robbery attempt that turned violent. The investigation quickly led law enforcement to identify several suspects from neighboring Scotland County, North Carolina.
Within days, the Marlboro County Sheriff's Office, with assistance from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the Scotland County Sheriff's Office, began making arrests. The first to be taken into custody was 17-year-old Bobby Marqueet Pearson, Jr., of Laurel Hill. In a strange turn of events, Pearson had been shot by one of his own co-conspirators during the incident and required hospital treatment for his injuries. Soon after, 31-year-old John Phillip Pearson, also known as 'T-Bizquit,' of Gibson, turned himself in to authorities.
The search continued for two other men believed to be involved. Warrants were issued for 29-year-old Vershaun Pearson of Laurel Hill and 34-year-old Darrius D. Moore of Gibson. All four individuals faced a string of serious charges, including murder, armed robbery, conspiracy, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. The subsequent legal proceedings and the final outcomes of the charges brought against the four suspects are not detailed in the available online sources.
