In the late hours of May 20, 2017, a young life was tragically cut short in Decatur, Georgia. Keshon Kerns, an 18-year-old male, was fatally shot and left to die in the carport of his grandfather's home on Harvest Hills Court. It was a place he shared with his cousins, a place that should have been safe. The following morning, his grandfather made the grim discovery, finding Keshon's body in the driveway with gunshot wounds to his wrist, shoulder, and back. At the time of his death, Keshon was a student and lacrosse player at Southwest DeKalb High School, with a twin sister and a future that was abruptly stolen from him.
Initially, there was confusion and feigned shock from his family members, including his 20-year-old cousin, Jamal Rashad Kerns, who also lived at the residence. Jamal and his twin brother, Jamel, claimed to have been at a hookah bar the night of the shooting, returning home in the early morning hours without noticing anything amiss in the darkened driveway. Jamal publicly expressed his love for his cousin and his bewilderment at the violent act. However, the facade of a grieving relative would soon crumble, revealing a cold-blooded killer.
The investigation took a dramatic turn a couple of weeks later, on June 6, 2017. Jamal Kerns was with a friend, Malik Golar, when the conversation turned to Keshon's unsolved murder. When Golar expressed disbelief in Jamal's alibi, Jamal retrieved a gun and shot Golar in the head. Miraculously, Golar survived and identified Jamal as his assailant. This brazen act of violence led to Jamal's arrest, and under questioning, he confessed to killing his cousin Keshon. He led police to the murder weapon, which he had hidden in a shoebox in their grandfather's car.
During his confession, Jamal initially claimed he found Keschon holding their grandfather's gun and, after slapping it away, shot his cousin. However, investigators believe Keschon was unarmed and that Jamal had taken the gun with the intent to kill. After shooting his cousin, Jamal went to a hookah bar with his brother, leaving Keschon for dead. In December 2021, a jury found Jamal Rashad Kerns guilty of Malice Murder, Felony Murder, two counts of Aggravated Assault, and two counts of Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison plus 25 years for the murder of his cousin and the shooting of his friend.
