On a Tuesday morning in late autumn, the quiet of a District Heights, Maryland, apartment building was broken by the discovery of a grim scene. Inside one of the units on Rochell Avenue, 43-year-old Willie Cheeks was found deceased on October 26, 2021. He was not alone; alongside him was 40-year-old Marquise Porter. Both men had been shot.
Authorities were called to the residence at approximately 9:25 a.m. for a report of a shooting. Upon their arrival, they pronounced both Mr.
Cheeks and Mr. Porter dead at the scene. Investigators from the Prince George's County Police Department's Homicide Unit took the lead on the case, immediately classifying the deaths as a double homicide. They quickly determined that the incident was not a random act of violence, suggesting that the victims may have been targeted.
In the days that followed, details about Willie Cheeks began to emerge. Known to some as '10 Duke' or 'Big Duke,' he was a father of four who worked as a line cook and grill master at Reagan National Airport. Those who knew him described him as one of a kind and very loyal. Both he and Mr. Porter were residents of the apartment where their lives were tragically cut short.
As the investigation unfolded, detectives worked to piece together the events that led to the fatal shootings. They began the process of establishing a motive and determining the exact time the shootings occurred. The case was assigned the number 21-0049351, and authorities appealed to the public for any information that might shed light on the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the two men. Despite the ongoing investigation, no suspects have been publicly identified, and no arrests have been announced in connection with the double homicide. The community was left seeking answers in the wake of the violent loss of two of its members.
