In the winter of 2016, a life was tragically cut short in Memphis, Tennessee. Ronevia Williams, an 18-year-old female, was killed on December 7th in a drive-by shooting. The incident occurred in the 1900 block of Oaks Avenue in the Frayser neighborhood. At the time of the shooting, Williams was inside a residence when multiple shots were fired from a passing maroon SUV.
She was struck by a bullet in the hip and succumbed to her injuries.
The gunfire endangered several other people inside the house, including a newborn baby who was only seven days old. Two men who were in the front yard of the residence were also shot and sustained injuries to their legs. The senseless act of violence sent shockwaves through the community and left a family grieving the loss of a young woman just beginning her adult life.
In the wake of the shooting, Memphis police quickly launched an investigation that led them to 18-year-old Jocquez Parham. In January 2017, Parham was arrested and charged in connection with the fatal shooting. The case against him moved forward, and in April 2017, a Shelby County grand jury indicted him on charges of first-degree murder, seven counts of attempted first-degree murder, and employing a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony.
Ultimately, a jury convicted Jocquez Parham in the death of Ronevia Williams. In April 2019, he was found guilty of second-degree murder, seven counts of attempted second-degree murder, and possession of a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony. At the time of his conviction, Parham, then 20 years old, faced a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison without the possibility of parole.
