Marlacia “Laci” Chanel Kitchen was an ambitious and sophisticated 17-year-old from Tallahassee, Florida, with big dreams for her future. A Black female, Marlacia was remembered by her family as outgoing and determined. She had already graduated from high school at the age of 16 and hoped to earn a degree at Florida A&M University. Her grandmother Felicia described her as mature beyond her years, calling her "my little ride-or-die girl" who "had big dreams and big ideas."
On October
24, 2022, Marlacia’s promising life was cut short. She was shot and killed while sitting inside a car in the parking lot of the Savoy at Southwood apartment complex in Tallahassee.
The sudden violence left her family struggling to understand what happened. Her cousin, Retosha Ford, expressed the shock and disbelief that followed the news. “It was just like I still wish I was sleeping like it was just a dream because it was like I was trying to figure out the who’s what’s when’s and how’s because I was just so devastated and shocked,” she said. In a statement, the family said, “We are broken, we are devastated.”
An investigation into Marlacia’s death led police to her ex-boyfriend, Jibril Griffin. According to her family, the two had been dating but had recently broken up. Griffin was arrested and charged with homicide in connection with the shooting. The arrest stunned Marlacia’s relatives. “I’m just surprised because it’s just like somebody eating with you today and stabbing you in your back tomorrow,” her cousin said.
As of November 2022, Jibril Griffin was facing a homicide charge for the death of Marlacia Kitchen, and the case was proceeding through the legal system.
