In the late evening of January 28, 2021, the life of John Trivonne Deondre Cherry, a 32-year-old male known to his loved ones as 'Cherry Head,' was tragically cut short. He was found behind the Blakewood Apartments on East Olliff Street in Statesboro, Georgia, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds. The call to the police was made at 7:41 p.m. that Thursday.
Although not a resident of the apartment complex, he was there for an informal social gathering and cookout with people he knew.
The investigation into his death led to the arrests of three individuals. The first suspect, Eliza John Boyd, 32, of Mikell Street, was taken into custody on February 10, 2021, and charged with murder. A week later, on February 17, a second suspect, Justin Deondre Bailey, 26, of Turner Street, was arrested in Chatham County. He faced multiple charges, including murder, aggravated assault with a gun, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The third and final arrest in the case occurred on February 22, 2021, when Richard Bernard Frazier, 21, of Savannah, was apprehended. Frazier was charged with murder as a party to the crime, which indicates he allegedly aided or assisted in the commission of the crime. All three suspects were booked into the Bulloch County Jail. Authorities stated that the shooting might have stemmed from a conflict that arose on the day of the incident and that it did not appear to be gang-related. Many individuals reportedly fled the scene after the shooting, and the victim's family made a public plea for any witnesses to come forward to assist law enforcement in their investigation.
