In the warm evening of Memorial Day, May 28, 2018, the promising future of 18-year-old Trevon Richardson was tragically cut short. A recent graduate of Cedar Grove High School, the male teenager was a celebrated athlete, having been a part of the state championship football and track and field teams. His athletic prowess had earned him a scholarship to Valdosta State University, where he planned to major in Business Marketing with aspirations of becoming a music engineer and real estate
investor. Just four days after his high school graduation, his life was taken in a fatal shooting in Decatur, Georgia.
DeKalb County police responded to a call at The Life at Peppertree Circle Apartments and discovered Richardson's body in the parking lot, deceased from a gunshot wound. The investigation revealed that Richardson was last seen at a nearby apartment complex, where he had arranged to sell marijuana to two individuals in a black Dodge Dart. What began as a drug deal escalated into a robbery that ended his life. His family, who had just celebrated his academic milestone, were left to plan his funeral.
The investigation quickly led to the identification of the vehicle's owner, 18-year-old Detavion McDay. Surveillance footage captured McDay's car leaving the scene where Richardson's body was found. Upon his arrest on May 31, 2018, McDay was charged with murder. In his statement to the police, McDay implicated an accomplice he identified as 'Darius,' who he claimed had planned the robbery and was the one who shot Richardson. This accomplice was later identified as Lavaniel Davis.
In March 2020, Detavion McDay pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and other charges, receiving a sentence of 40 years, with 25 to be served in custody. Lavaniel Davis was taken into custody on December 17, 2021. In August 2024, a jury found Davis guilty on multiple counts, including three counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, and armed robbery. Subsequently, he was sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years, to be served consecutively, with an additional five years on probation.
