In the late summer of 2022, the life of 34-year-old Jolesia Fairweather was tragically cut short in Capitol Heights, Maryland. On the morning of Sunday, August 21st, Prince George's County police officers were dispatched to a residence on Maryland Park Drive following reports of a shooting. Upon their arrival at approximately 7:50 a.m., they discovered Jolesia suffering from a gunshot wound.
She was immediately transported to a local hospital, but her injuries proved to be fatal, and she succumbed to them shortly after her arrival.
The preliminary investigation swiftly pointed to a domestic dispute as the catalyst for the violence. Authorities identified the suspect as Jolesia's 37-year-old husband, Orville-Dean Fairweather. He was promptly taken into custody and charged with first and second-degree murder, as well as other related offenses, in connection with his wife's death. He was held at the Department of Corrections without bond.
Jolesia, a mother to a 17-year-old son from a previous relationship and two young daughters, aged five and four months, whom she shared with her husband, was remembered by family as a vibrant and determined individual. Originally from Trelawny, Jamaica, she had moved to the United States at the age of 11. She later met Orville-Dean, also from Trelawny, during one of her frequent visits back to Jamaica. The couple married, and he subsequently joined her in the United States. At the time of the incident, it was reported that the couple was not living together.
The legal proceedings following Jolesia's death have been fraught with difficulty for her grieving family. The first trial against Orville-Dean Fairweather, which took place in Prince George's Circuit Court in June of 2023, ended in a mistrial. His defense attorney had argued that he acted in self-defense. A new trial was scheduled to commence in March of 2025, forcing her loved ones to relive the painful details of her death as they await the final outcome of the case. Orville-Dean Fairweather remains in custody while the legal process continues.
