In the early morning hours of April 30, 2017, a 21-year-old Black/African American male named JaKorbin Quinbrell King was found deceased in his Columbus, Georgia apartment. His death was the tragic culmination of a series of events that began with a bungled robbery attempt the previous day. A group of teenagers had initially gone to King's apartment on 33rd Street to purchase marijuana. Later, they decided to return and rob him.
During this initial attempt, King and his friends managed to chase the would-be robbers away, causing one of them to drop his father's pistol and a pair of expensive glasses.
The desire to retrieve the lost firearm set in motion a fatal return to King's residence. The group of assailants grew to five individuals. When they re-entered the apartment, King, an avid skateboarder, armed himself with a broken skateboard to defend himself and his girlfriend, who was also present. As he confronted the intruders, a struggle ensued, and he was shot multiple times. Police discovered his body at approximately 7 a.m.
The investigation into the homicide led to the arrest of five suspects. Marquavious Howard, then 22, was identified as the gunman. He was the only one to go to trial, where a jury convicted him of murder and aggravated assault. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. His co-defendants accepted plea deals. Samuel Jones, who was 17 at the time of the incident, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and received a 15-year sentence, with five to serve in prison. His 24-year-old sister, Jylonda Jones, who drove the group to the apartment, pleaded guilty to several misdemeanors and was sentenced to two years in jail and two years of probation.
Another teen, 18-year-old Tyler Teal, also pleaded guilty to aggravated assault for his role in the events leading up to the shooting and was sentenced to 15 years, with five to be served in prison. The fifth suspect, who was 16 at the time, had his case returned to the juvenile court system for resolution. The legal proceedings brought a measure of closure to a case that was described by a defense attorney as being orchestrated by a trio of inept young men, whose poor decisions ultimately led to a senseless death.
