In the quiet of a late December evening in Nashville, Tennessee, the life of 29-year-old Alexis J. Douglas, a Black female, was violently cut short. On December 21, 2020, inside her Elm Hill Pike apartment, Douglas was fatally shot by a man from her past. The tragic event unfolded as she was spending time with a friend, Gene Fernandez, who was also wounded in the attack but survived.
The initial hours of the investigation saw police focus on another ex-boyfriend, Saamia Boyce Jr., and
warrants were issued for his arrest. However, after Boyce was interviewed by detectives, he was cleared of any involvement, and the warrants against him were withdrawn. The investigation then pivoted to another man with whom Douglas had a history, 27-year-old James Ritenour. Their on-and-off relationship of five to six years had been marred by physical and mental abuse, and despite her efforts to block his persistent contact, he remained a presence in her life.
Investigators determined that Ritenour used a key he still possessed to gain entry to Douglas's apartment that night. Once inside, he opened fire on Douglas and Fernandez as they sat on the couch. The U.S. Marshal's Fugitive Task Force later apprehended Ritenour at a relative's home on Tucker Road. He was subsequently charged with murder for the death of Alexis Douglas and attempted murder for the shooting of Gene Fernandez. He was held without bond as the case proceeded through the legal system.
In a subsequent trial, Gene Fernandez took the stand and identified James Ritenour as the man who entered the apartment and shot both him and Alexis Douglas. In May 2025, a Davidson County jury found James Ritenour guilty of first-degree premeditated murder and attempted first-degree premeditated murder. The murder conviction carried an automatic life sentence, which he began serving immediately.
