In the late hours of August 26, 2019, a message on Facebook Messenger lured 19-year-old Quintasia Tate out of her Chattanooga, Tennessee apartment. Awaiting her in the darkness at the Rainbow Creek Apartments on Shallowford Road was JeMichael Powell, a 27-year-old man she knew. Tate, a young Black mother of three, was also 16 weeks pregnant with her fourth child. Moments after stepping outside, the night was shattered by the sound of gunfire.
Tate was shot six times, a brutal end to a life that held the promise of a new beginning.
The investigation into the death of Quintasia Tate quickly focused on Powell. He had messaged her from a Facebook profile under the name 'Jay Mike,' asking her to come outside to talk. The final message she received simply said, 'Walkn up,' a chilling prelude to the violence that followed. In the aftermath of the shooting, Powell fled, taking Tate's orange Nissan Altima. His attempt to evade justice was short-lived, as he was soon placed on the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's Top 10 Most Wanted list.
A witness eventually came forward, reporting that they had seen Powell driving Tate's car and had heard him admit to the shooting. This crucial testimony led to his arrest on September 18, 2019. Faced with charges of criminal homicide and unlawful possession of a firearm, JeMichael Powell ultimately pleaded guilty to the murder of Quintasia Tate and her unborn child. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison for their deaths, with the possibility of an additional five years for a federal firearm charge. The sentence was met with anguish by Tate's family, who felt that it was not nearly enough to account for the two lives that were so violently taken.
