On a cold January evening in 2018, the lives of two young men were tragically cut short in Montgomery, Alabama. Ojay Baker, a 26-year-old Black male, and his companion, 19-year-old Deontae Edwards, were fatally wounded in a shooting that unfolded on the 3800 block of Mobile Highway. The incident, which occurred on Saturday, January 6, 2018, marked the city's first and second homicides of the new year.
Responding to a call of a person shot, Montgomery police and fire medics arrived at the
scene to find Baker with a fatal gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Edwards was discovered a short time later, also suffering from a life-threatening gunshot wound. He was quickly transported to a local hospital for treatment but succumbed to his injuries the following day.
In the wake of the double homicide, the Montgomery Police Department launched an intensive investigation. Their efforts led to the identification and subsequent arrest of three suspects. On January 12, 2018, the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force apprehended 21-year-old Jerico R. Paige and 20-year-old De'Audre Jones. Both men were charged with two counts of capital murder in connection with the deaths of Baker and Edwards.
The investigation continued, and a third suspect, 18-year-old Lee Charles Simmons, was identified. Simmons was already in custody at the Montgomery County Detention Facility on an unrelated charge when he was served with capital murder warrants on January 19, 2018. All three suspects were held without bond. While arrests were made, the circumstances and motive that led to the fatal shooting have not been publicly detailed.
