In the late hours of a November night in Lithonia, Georgia, a grim discovery was made on Rockbridge Road. A vehicle was engulfed in flames, and inside, authorities found the body of 19-year-old Willie Jackson. The subsequent investigation by DeKalb County officials would reveal a story of a violent end to a young life, stemming from what police believe was a drug deal gone wrong. Willie, an African American male, had been fatally shot before the fire was set.
The investigation into Willie's death moved swiftly. Within a short period, two suspects were taken into custody. Hoye Rashad Anderson and Raekwon Roseboro, both 19 years old at the time, were arrested and faced serious charges, including felony murder and aggravated assault. The arrests brought a glimmer of hope for justice to a community shaken by the brutal nature of the crime. Roseboro was reportedly already in the DeKalb County Jail on unrelated charges when he was charged in connection with Willie's death.
Further details emerged, painting a fuller picture of the events that transpired on November 28, 2015. Another young man, Kendrick Ellison, was also a victim of the violence that night. He had been shot in the head and throat but managed to survive. Ellison was found at a nearby residence, and his testimony was crucial for investigators in building a case against the two suspects. The charges against Anderson and Roseboro encompassed not only the murder of Willie Jackson but also the assault on Kendrick Ellison, weaving together the fates of the three young men in a single, tragic incident.
