Ondrea Japonica Stevenson, a 19-year-old African American woman, was tragically found shot to death in a west Charlotte apartment on December 4, 2013. Stevenson, who was pregnant at the time, had moved into the apartment with her roommates after becoming homeless following an argument with relatives. Her roommates believe she was not the intended target of her killer. On the night of the murder, one of her roommates, Carla Craig, heard screaming and gunshots shortly after arriving home. Witnesses reported seeing three men shooting as they ran past a window at the apartment complex. Stevenson was found dead on the living room floor, with bullet holes through the apartment window leading straight to the couch where she slept. Her unborn child did not survive the shooting.
The investigation into Stevenson's death revealed that trouble had been brewing at the apartment in the days leading up to the murder. Roommates reported that men had shown up at their door looking for Stevenson's boyfriend on two separate occasions prior to the shooting. It is believed that the bullets were meant for her boyfriend, who did not live at the apartment. Four children, ages 1-3, were also present in the apartment at the time of the shooting, but no one else was injured. The motive for the shooting remains unclear, and the investigation is ongoing.
In March 2019, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police arrested Carlos Delonte Knox, a 33-year-old man, in connection with the murder of Ondrea Japonica Stevenson and her unborn child. Knox was charged with first-degree murder, murder of an unborn child, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The arrest brought some closure to the case, but the investigation continues as authorities seek to understand the full circumstances surrounding the tragic event.
