In the quiet early hours of a Thursday morning in Waldorf, Maryland, a tragic scene unfolded that would cut short the lives of two young women. On January 21, 2021, police responded to a report of gunshots and an open door at a townhouse on Hanover Court. Inside, they made a grim discovery: the bodies of 24-year-old Kandeon Meisha Niravanh and her housemate, 22-year-old Genesis Garrett.
Both women, residents of Waldorf, had been fatally shot and were pronounced deceased at the scene.
The investigation into the double homicide quickly pointed to a suspect known to the victims. Within two days, on January 23, authorities located and arrested 49-year-old Deon Watkins in Washington, D.C. The motive, as it was later revealed during legal proceedings, stemmed from a dispute over a drug-related debt. Watkins was the marijuana supplier for Niravanh, and an argument had erupted via text messages prior to the murders. The disagreement was reportedly over money Niravanh owed and Watkins' belief that she was attempting to deal directly with his supplier.
Following his arrest and extradition to Maryland, Deon Watkins faced trial for the killings. In August 2023, after an eight-day trial, a Charles County jury found Watkins guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and other related charges. Evidence presented included threatening text messages from Watkins to Niravanh and surveillance footage showing a vehicle matching his car leaving the scene after the murders. On February 21, 2024, a judge sentenced Deon Watkins, then 52, to two consecutive life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole, ensuring he would be held accountable for the deaths of Kandeon Niravanh and Genesis Garrett. The judge presiding over the sentencing characterized the brutal act as 'an execution with no purpose other than' being disrespected on a business level.
