Malik Rahsean Parks was an 18-year-old Black man remembered by those who loved him as kind, encouraging, respectful, and full of life. Known affectionately as "Leek," the Monroe Comprehensive High School student had an amazing soul and a heart of gold, and was considered a protector by his friends.
In the pre-dawn hours of November 27, 2020, Malik’s life was tragically taken. Around 4 a.m., he and another 18-year-old, Ja’Kenrick Chatman Jr., were found deceased in the driveway of a home in the 600 block of Aztec Lane in Albany, Georgia. An investigation determined that both young men had died from gunshot wounds in a double homicide. Their bodies were sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation crime lab for autopsies.
The Albany Police Department’s Robbery/Homicide Unit, assisted by the Gang Task Force, immediately began investigating the killings.
The community was left reeling from the violent deaths of the two teenagers, and investigators worked quickly to find those responsible.
Less than 24 hours after Malik and Ja’Kenrick were found, police announced that two people had been arrested in connection with the case. Messiah Alexander, 18, was charged with felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. A second individual, 33-year-old Bernice Carter, was charged with tampering with evidence.
Following the initial arrests and charges, no further information regarding the progression of the case through the court system, including any trials or convictions, has been made publicly available. The last reported development was the announcement of the arrests in November 2020.
