In the late hours of a November evening in Decatur, Georgia, the sound of gunfire shattered the night, leaving two lives extinguished and a community in mourning. On November 24, 2014, 29-year-old Verdell Bee Jr., an African American male, and his 24-year-old girlfriend, Princess Stanford, were discovered inside a vehicle at the Soluna Park Apartments on Memorial Drive. Both had sustained multiple gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene by responding officers who arrived around 10 p.m. following reports of the shooting.
Investigators initially stated that they did not believe the killings were a random act, though a motive was not immediately clear. A champagne-colored Oldsmobile or Impala was seen near the location of the shooting, but authorities could not immediately confirm if it was connected to the homicides. The deaths of the young couple prompted an intensive investigation as their families and friends grappled with the sudden and violent loss. Funeral services for Verdell Bee Jr. were later held at a local funeral home in Decatur.
In the weeks that followed, law enforcement worked to identify those responsible for the double homicide. Their efforts culminated in January 2015, when three suspects were taken into custody in connection with the murders. Aishadia Armstrong was arrested on January 20, 2015, and was charged with the shooting deaths of both Verdell Bee Jr. and Princess Stanford. Shortly after, two other suspects, Martavis Mathis and Devon Brown, were also apprehended on January 20 and January 27, respectively, and charged in the deaths of the couple. The arrests were part of a broader law enforcement operation in DeKalb County aimed at apprehending individuals with outstanding warrants.
