In the fall of 2015, a dispute over rent in a Savannah, Georgia home escalated into a tragedy that claimed the lives of three young people. Among them was 19-year-old Alexis Kitchens, a female who lived with siblings Kiana and Corey Marshall. The three shared a house on Lynah Street in the Carver Village neighborhood. The conflict began when two other roommates, Diamond Butler and Jamaica Bell, who was Kiana's cousin, were asked to move out for not paying their share of the rent.
This seemingly simple disagreement set in motion a chain of events that would end in a gruesome discovery.
On the morning of October 22, 2015, police were dispatched to the residence for a wellness check after a report of the front door being left ajar. Inside, they found a shocking scene: Alexis Kitchens, 21-year-old Kiana Marshall, and 18-year-old Corey Marshall had all been shot multiple times. The brutal nature of the crime sent ripples of fear and sadness through the community. The investigation that followed would uncover a story of anger and retribution that led to the triple homicide.
Within a couple of months, authorities made arrests in connection with the murders. In December 2015, investigators charged 22-year-old James Angelo Hampton and 18-year-old Dwayne Leonard Abney with the crime. The former roommate, 18-year-old Diamond Butler, was also implicated. According to testimony, Butler, upset about being evicted, had wanted the house to be shot up, though she claimed she never intended for anyone to be killed. On the night of October 21, Hampton and Abney allegedly went to the house under the pretense of retrieving Butler's belongings while she waited elsewhere.
The subsequent trial revealed the horrific details of that night. It was stated that Corey Marshall was the first to be shot in the head when he opened the door. As Alexis and Kiana tried to flee to another room, Kiana was shot in the head next. Alexis was the last to be shot as she attempted to escape the violence. In December 2017, a jury found James Angelo Hampton guilty in the deaths of all three victims. His co-defendant, Dwayne Leonard Abney, was convicted in the killings of Alexis Kitchens and Kiana Marshall. Both men faced mandatory life sentences for their roles in the devastating loss of three young lives.
