On a visit to Decatur, Georgia, to reconnect with a friend, a 20-year-old African American woman named Shaniqua Camacho found her life tragically cut short. Originally from South Carolina, she was spending time with her middle school friend, Sonia Williams, on the night of May 19, 2014, when a brutal chain of events unfolded. The two young women were socializing at a gathering with several men when an argument broke out between Williams and a man named Malcolm 'Dot' Brown, the purported leader of the 9 Trey Bloods street gang.
Prosecutors stated that Williams had insulted Brown, and in retaliation, he ordered her and Shaniqua to be killed. Although Shaniqua had no part in the dispute and reportedly did not know the gang members, she was targeted simply for being with her friend. The situation escalated violently inside an apartment, where both women were beaten. They managed to escape the apartment on foot, but their flight for safety was brief. They were chased down in a vehicle by several of Brown's fellow gang members.
Three men, Demetre 'Flame' Mason, Frankland 'Bad News' Henderson, and Michael 'Slim' Jenkins, pursued the women. Mason and Henderson got out of the car and opened fire, shooting both Shaniqua Camacho and Sonia Williams to death in what was described as an execution-style killing. Their bodies were discovered the following day by a neighbor in the apartment complex. The investigation into the double homicide led to the arrests of Mason, Henderson, Jenkins, and the alleged leader who ordered the murders, Malcolm Brown.
The legal proceedings that followed brought convictions for the men who carried out the shooting. In April 2018, a DeKalb County jury found Demetre Mason and Frankland Henderson guilty of numerous charges, including malice murder, felony murder, and violation of the street gang terrorism and prevention act. Michael Jenkins was convicted of aggravated assault and gang activity. Subsequently, both Mason and Henderson were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Jenkins received a 50-year prison sentence for his role in the crime. Malcolm Brown, the man accused of ordering the killings, was scheduled to be prosecuted separately.
