Shanekqua Adrianna Thompson, a 21-year-old African American woman, tragically lost her life on October 31, 2014, in Goldsboro, North Carolina. She was found shot to death inside a minivan that had crashed into a wooded area near Sixth Street and Humphrey Street just after 3 a.m. Police responded to a report of shots fired and discovered Thompson's vehicle riddled with bullets, having been struck eight times.
The investigation revealed that Thompson was shot during a car chase involving several vehicles. It was determined that the suspects were from Kinston and had an ongoing dispute with a group of people from Goldsboro. Thompson's family believes she was in the wrong place at the wrong time, as her boyfriend, who was in the car with her but unharmed, may have been the intended target of the gunfire.
The Goldsboro Police Department identified six suspects in connection with the murder of Shanekqua Adrianna Thompson. Cequan Phillips, 22, Rahmel Phillips, 24, Joshua Collins, 24, Anthony Graham, 30, Alquan Hill, 23, and Davine Carr, 20, were all charged with murder. Cequan Phillips, Rahmel Phillips, Joshua Collins, and Anthony Graham were arrested, while Alquan Hill and Davine Carr remained at large. The suspects were believed to be involved in a car chase that led to the shooting. Police marked at least 20 locations where they found shell casings, indicating the intensity of the gunfire exchange.
In the subsequent legal proceedings, two of the defendants, Cequon Aredale Phillips and Joshua Collins, were sentenced in Wayne County Superior Court. Cequon Aredale Phillips received a sentence of 58 to 82 months in prison for accessory after the fact to second-degree murder. Joshua Collins was sentenced to 221 to 278 months in prison for second-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, and discharging a firearm into occupied property in conveyance and operation causing serious injury. Both men were given credit for the time they had already served in jail. Alquan De-shawn Hill, who was convicted of first-degree murder and other charges, was sentenced to life without parole for his role in the killing. Hill was also convicted of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury and discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle in operation, receiving an additional 92 to 123 months in prison for these charges.
The murder of Shanekqua Adrianna Thompson left a lasting impact on her family and the community. Her grandmother, Betty Thompson, expressed the family's grief and the responsibility of raising Thompson's three young children, the oldest of whom was six years old and the youngest just one year old at the time of her death. The Goldsboro Police Department continued to seek information from the public to locate the remaining suspects and bring them to justice. The case highlighted the dangers of being caught in the crossfire of violent disputes and the devastating consequences for innocent victims and their families.
