In the fall of 2020, a personal dispute tragically cut short the life of 21-year-old A’Nyah Davis in Statesboro, Georgia. On the evening of October 2, 2020, police responded to a call of shots fired at The Hudson Apartments on South Main Street. There, they found Davis in the parking lot with a gunshot wound. She was rushed to East Georgia Regional Medical Center, where she succumbed to her injuries. At the time of her death, Davis, formerly of McDonough, Georgia, was not enrolled at Georgia Southern University. Her mother shared that Davis had recently taken the ASVAB test with aspirations of joining the Air Force.
The investigation into the young woman's death quickly moved forward. Detectives from the Statesboro Police Department worked through the night, processing the crime scene and interviewing witnesses. The motive was described as a personal dispute. According to Davis's family, she had gone to the apartment to speak with a girl about a damaged cell phone. They believe that when the door was opened, a shot was fired, and Davis had no chance to defend herself. The investigation led authorities to identify a suspect, and on October 5, 2020, warrants were issued.
Acting on these warrants, the U.S. Marshals Service Southeast Regional Task Force located and arrested a 16-year-old male, Keishawn Jayquan Nephew, in Hinesville, Georgia, three days after the warrants were issued. He was charged as an adult with felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. Later, in May of 2021, a second individual, Jacorey Shikeam Jefferson, was also arrested in connection with the case.
The legal process culminated in a trial where both Nephew and Jefferson faced the charges brought against them. The defense for Nephew argued that he had an alibi, with two individuals corroborating his claim that he was in Hinesville at the time of the shooting. After a week-long trial, the jury began their deliberations. In a surprising turn of events, after about an hour of deliberation, the Bulloch County jury returned with a verdict of 'Not Guilty' on all charges for both Keishawn Jayquan Nephew and Jacorey Shikeam Jefferson in May of 2022.
