Dominic Jefferson

Dominic Jefferson, a 33-year-old African American woman, tragically lost her life on January 4, 2020, in Houston, Texas. The incident occurred at their apartment in the 5500 block of Holly View Drive in northwest Houston. Dominic Jefferson was fatally shot by her fiancé, Kendrick Akins, just three days after he proposed to her. The couple had gotten engaged over the New Year's holiday, but their relationship quickly deteriorated, leading to a fatal altercation.

On the night of the incident, Dominic Jefferson and Kendrick Akins got into an argument about a message Akins had received on social media. The argument escalated, and Jefferson called off the engagement. When Jefferson and a female friend tried to leave the apartment to pick up the friend's boyfriend, Jefferson's car would not start. Akins attempted to fix the car, but Jefferson shouted at him to leave the vehicle and her alone. As the argument continued, Akins pulled a gun out of his pocket and shot Jefferson in the chest from a few feet away. A witness heard the shot and came running to help, but Akins fired at the man as well. Akins then took Jefferson's cell phone and fled the scene.

Kendrick Akins, a 42-year-old African American man, was later arrested and charged with murder and aggravated assault. He had a history of committing violent crimes, including aggravated assault against a woman in 2008 and possession of methamphetamine in 2015. Akins was on parole at the time of the murder. During the trial, it was revealed that Akins had a pattern of domestic violence, and jurors heard testimony that he had previously put a loaded shotgun to a woman's head while she was asleep and pulled the trigger, but the gun did not go off.

In November 2022, Kendrick Akins was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. The Harris County District Attorney, Kim Ogg, described Akins as a habitual offender with a string of domestic violence crimes that escalated until he killed Dominic Jefferson. The jury's verdict brought some measure of justice to Jefferson's family, who mourned the loss of a loving and hard-working mother. Jefferson left behind three children, ages 11, 6, and 4, and would have celebrated her 35th birthday on January 17, 2020.