Javon Whiteside

Javon Quezaire Whiteside was an 18-year-old man from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, whose life was tragically cut short. Remembered by loved ones, his death left a void in the hearts of his family and friends, who would wait years for answers.

In the first minutes of July 17, 2012, a violent encounter ended Javon’s life. Around 12:15 a.m., police were flagged down near 69th Street and Fond du Lac Avenue. They discovered Javon Whiteside in the back seat of a car, bleeding from a gunshot wound to his abdomen. Before he lost consciousness, he repeatedly said, "I'm only 18 and I can't believe I'm going to die!" When officers asked who shot him, Javon gave them a name: "Tay-Tay." He was pronounced dead on the way to the hospital.

The investigation revealed that the shooting was the result of a planned robbery. On the evening of July 16, Javon had received a call from someone wanting to buy ecstasy pills. He and two other people drove to the area of 69th and Fond du Lac to make the sale. They saw a person dressed in black, holding what looked like a baby wrapped in a blanket. Javon told his companions that everything was fine, recognizing the person as someone he had attended middle school with. He got out of the car and spoke to the individual for a few moments before a single gunshot rang out. Javon jumped back into the vehicle, saying he had been shot, and his companions drove off, quickly finding police to help. Investigators later found 60 ecstasy pills hidden in a small pocket sewn into his jeans.

Police traced the phone number that had contacted Javon to a man named Devante Randall. When questioned in October 2012, Randall admitted he had gone to middle school with Javon and that his nickname was "Tay." However, he denied any involvement in the killing, and with no further evidence, the investigation stalled. For nearly seven years, Javon’s murder remained a painful cold case for his family and the Milwaukee Police Department.

A major breakthrough came in May 2019 when a witness, Randall's former roommate, came forward with crucial information. The roommate confirmed that Devante Randall’s nickname was "Tay-Tay" and stated that on the night of the murder, Randall had arranged to buy ecstasy from Javon. The witness told police that Randall returned to their home near the crime scene acting "very nervous." Months later, after police had searched the residence, Randall retrieved a .40 caliber Glock that belonged to the roommate from the basement and confessed, "this was the gun 'I killed dude with.'" Randall admitted he had intended to rob Javon for money. He had lured him to a boarded-up house, using a doll wrapped in a blanket to make it appear he was holding a baby. When Javon approached, Randall tried to rob him. Javon ran, and Randall dropped the doll, chased him, and shot him once before fleeing.

This new testimony allowed prosecutors to finally charge Devante Randall with first-degree reckless homicide for the death of Javon Whiteside. At the time of this charge, Randall was already in custody for separate, horrific crimes involving the abuse of his then-girlfriend's two young children. In that case, he was responsible for the death of a 6-month-old boy, Arias Windsor, and for causing serious injuries, including two broken legs, to the boy's 2-year-old sibling.

On January 24, 2020, Devante Randall was sentenced for both homicides. He received a total of 44 years in prison, to be followed by 16 years of extended supervision. In court, Randall apologized, stating, "I am no monster or animal. I made some bad decisions... What I did was wrong." Javon's mother, Juanita Quezaire, shared the immense pain her family had endured. "It's been a rough seven years," she told the judge. "My heart is broken, my family's heart is broken." After seven long years, the family finally had a measure of justice for Javon. His case is now considered solved.