Kaylun Marquise Gray, a 19-year-old from Elba, Alabama, tragically lost his life on May 19, 2020, in Crestview, Florida. The incident occurred at the Hilton Motel on Highway 90, where a staged robbery orchestrated by Gray's girlfriend, Jasmine Chantel Williams, turned fatal. Williams, along with three accomplices, planned to rob Gray, but the situation escalated into a deadly shootout.
Gray exchanged gunfire with one of the robbers, Jakeith Tyrrell Edwards, resulting in both men being fatally wounded. Edwards managed to flee the scene but later succumbed to his injuries at North Okaloosa Medical Center.
The Crestview Police Department's investigation revealed that Williams had solicited the help of her friends to target Gray in the robbery. The motive behind the robbery was reportedly linked to Williams' desire to retrieve a cell phone from Gray, which she claimed he was using to blackmail her. The police arrested Williams and two of her accomplices, Eric Rashawn Dorsey and Tykira Zhane Deandrade. All three were charged with murder and robbery with a firearm. The charges against them included first-degree felony murder, second-degree felony murder, and accessory after the fact while in commission of a capital felony.
The case proceeded to the judicial system, where an Okaloosa County grand jury indicted Williams, Dorsey, and Deandrade on multiple charges. The severity of the charges meant that the suspects faced the possibility of life imprisonment without parole or even the death penalty. The State Attorney's Office conducted a death penalty review to determine the appropriate course of action. The suspects were held without bond as they awaited their court appearances, marking the beginning of a lengthy legal process to seek justice for Kaylun Marquise Gray.
