Cherquito Cher Quita McDonald, a 28-year-old African American woman, was tragically shot and killed on April 29, 2008, in Raeford, North Carolina. The incident occurred in the parking lot of Burlington Industries, where McDonald worked. She was shot multiple times in the head at around 4 p.m. and was subsequently taken to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville, where she succumbed to her injuries.
The suspect in the case was identified as Jonathan Dion Melvin, a 30-year-old
African American man who had been in a long-term relationship with McDonald. The couple had three children together, aged 2, 3, and 7. According to family members, McDonald had broken up with Melvin about a month before the incident. Melvin had a history of physically abusing McDonald, and she had considered taking out a restraining order against him but had never done so.
On the day of the incident, witnesses reported that Melvin approached McDonald in the parking lot and wanted to speak with her. They walked a short distance before Melvin shot her multiple times and fled the scene. Melvin ditched his car behind a nearby convenience store and ran into the woods. Raeford police received a tip that Melvin was in Fayetteville, about 20 miles away, and he was arrested there later that evening.
Melvin was charged with first-degree murder and was held without bond at the Hoke County Jail. The case highlighted the ongoing issue of domestic violence, as McDonald's family revealed that Melvin had previously crashed his car into a vehicle McDonald was driving. Despite their tumultuous relationship, McDonald worked multiple jobs and was studying criminal justice at Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst, striving to provide a better life for her children.
