In the summer of 2022, a planned and brutal act of violence cut short the life of 23-year-old Leion Davis Jr., a Black male, in Baltimore, Maryland. On the evening of August 12th, at approximately 8:33 p.m., Davis and another man, William Ferebee, were ambushed as they sat in a parked vehicle in the 4000 block of Wabash Avenue. Multiple assailants opened fire, striking both men with numerous gunshots.
When police arrived, they discovered Davis and Ferebee inside the vehicle, both having succumbed to their injuries at the scene. Investigators recovered a significant amount of ballistic evidence, including 25 shell casings from 9mm and. 40 caliber firearms outside the car, and three additional. 40 caliber casings inside.
The investigation into the double homicide quickly revealed a conspiracy. A witness reported seeing a red, four-door vehicle with tinted windows fleeing the area immediately after the shooting. Shortly after the murders, a woman reported a red 2008 Acura as stolen. However, detectives later determined she had made a false report at the direction of a man named Datuan Blanchard. The vehicle, which was used in the commission of the crime, was later found burned in the 1200 block of N. Franklintown Road. The woman eventually cooperated with law enforcement, admitting that Blanchard, who was the driver for the shooting, had confessed his involvement and that of two associates. She revealed the killings were carried out for monetary gain. This witness later pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact and agreed to testify against Blanchard as part of a plea deal.
Based on the evidence gathered, including the witness testimony and historical cell phone data that placed his phone near the crime scene around the time of the murders, Datuan Blanchard was arrested and charged in connection with the deaths of Leion Davis Jr. and William Ferebee. In June 2024, a Baltimore City jury convicted Blanchard on all charges related to the double homicide. Subsequently, he was sentenced to four life sentences, two of them without the possibility of parole, for his role as the driver in what was described as a cold and calculating execution.
