In the fading daylight of a Sunday evening in Tarrant, Alabama, on January 3, 2021, a sequence of events unfolded that would end the life of 19-year-old Cevon Deshun Gibbs. Initially, reports suggested Gibbs was a passenger in a car when shots were fired, causing the vehicle to roll to a stop in a residential driveway. However, the investigation would later reveal a more complex and tragic story.
Authorities responding to the scene found Gibbs, a male, with gunshot wounds.
He was rushed to UAB Hospital but succumbed to his injuries shortly before 7:30 p.m. In the immediate aftermath, the investigation led Tarrant Police to identify a suspect, LiHerman John Hayes, who was arrested and charged with capital murder. Hayes was discovered hiding in the crawlspace of a home and was taken into custody.
However, the case took a dramatic turn as new information and witnesses came forward, painting a different picture of the fatal encounter. Investigators learned that two sisters, 22-year-old Angel Boyd and 18-year-old Princess Boyd, had allegedly conspired with Gibbs to rob Hayes. During the attempted robbery, Hayes, who was in a vehicle with the Boyd sisters and a child, reportedly acted in self-defense, fatally shooting Gibbs. In a moment of chaos, Hayes was seen removing the child in a car seat from the vehicle and placing them safely in the roadway.
Based on this new evidence, the capital murder charges against LiHerman John Hayes were dismissed, and he was released from jail. The focus of the investigation then shifted to the Boyd sisters. Both Angel and Princess Boyd were arrested and charged with felony murder. Under Alabama law, a person can be charged with murder if a death occurs during the commission of a felony, such as robbery, even if they did not directly cause the death. The sisters were booked into the Jefferson County Jail, each with a bond set at $125,000.
