On a tragic Wednesday afternoon in Baltimore, Maryland, the lives of 21-year-old Justice Allen and her 43-year-old mother, Chanette Neal, were brutally cut short. On April 4, 2018, assailants forced their way into the family's home on Gorman Avenue and opened fire, leaving both women with fatal gunshot wounds. First responders rushed them to separate area hospitals, but their injuries proved too severe, and both were pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
In the immediate aftermath,
Baltimore police investigators quickly determined that the attack was not a random act of violence. They announced that Neal and Allen were specifically targeted, though the motive was not immediately clear. The investigation soon explored potential connections to other family members involved in criminal activities. It came to light that Chanette Neal's son, Antoine Benjamin, was an indicted member of the Black Guerilla Family gang and was incarcerated at the time of the murders. While police considered the possibility that the killings were related to his gang affiliations, they did not immediately confirm a direct link.
For nearly two years, the case remained unsolved, leaving a void in the lives of their family and friends. The pain of their loss was a constant presence for their loved ones. In an effort to generate new leads, the FBI's Baltimore Field Office announced a $25,000 reward in March 2020 for any information that would lead to the arrest of those responsible for the double homicide. Law enforcement officials distributed flyers in the neighborhood where the crime occurred and used billboards to bring attention to the case, hoping that the financial incentive would encourage someone with crucial information to come forward.
A significant breakthrough in the case finally came to light with a federal conviction. David Warren, a 32-year-old member of the Black Guerilla Family gang, was sentenced to 38 years in federal prison in September 2024 for his role in the murders of Justice Allen and Chanette Neal. Court documents revealed that Warren and his co-conspirators had gone to the Gorman Avenue home with the intention of murdering a rival of another high-ranking gang member, Davante Harrison, also known as 'YGG Tay'. When they failed to find their intended target, they instead murdered Allen and Neal. Evidence presented showed that Warren had messaged an associate after the killings, stating he was 'waiting on the bag,' which was interpreted as waiting for payment for the murders.
