Alicia Monique Hodges, a 35-year-old mother of three, had moved from Minnesota to Lithonia, Georgia, for a fresh start and a better life for her children. In Georgia, she was a whirlwind of activity, working two jobs while also attending culinary school. Her life, full of promise and hard work, was tragically cut short on August 2, 2014, when she became an innocent victim of senseless gun violence. On that fateful night, Hodges decided to unwind after work at an after-hours party at a home on Davidson Drive. It was a decision that placed her in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Earlier in the evening, an argument had broken out at the party, which was allegedly operating as an illegal strip club. Two men, Aaron Fields and Derrelle Cartaz Williams, were asked to leave after a dispute. Feeling disrespected, the pair, allegedly members of the Bloods street gang, vowed to return. They did so with a third man, Raymond Guyla Jenkins, and with guns in hand. As Hodges stepped outside the house, the three men allegedly opened fire on the residence in an act of retaliation. A single bullet struck Hodges in the neck, ending her life. Her three children, ages 9, 10, and 15, were left without their mother.
The investigation into the shooting led to the swift arrests of the three men. Aaron Fields and Derrelle Cartaz Williams were taken into custody on October 3, 2014. Raymond Guyla Jenkins was arrested five days later, on October 8. All three men were charged in connection with the murder of Alicia Monique Hodges. Prosecutors presented evidence suggesting the shooting was a retaliatory act and that Hodges was an unintended target. During court proceedings, it was revealed that both Jenkins and Williams were on probation for prior offenses at the time of the shooting. The court denied bond for the accused, citing the violent nature of the crime and concerns over witness intimidation by associates of the suspects. The case then moved through the DeKalb County judicial system, with the prosecution building its case against the three alleged gang members for their roles in the tragic and senseless death of an innocent mother.
