In the spring of 2014, the life of 36-year-old Dekova Jemille 'Doc' Harris was tragically cut short in Birmingham, Alabama. On April 25th, Harris, a Black male, was found shot to death inside a residence in the Ensley neighborhood. He was not alone; alongside him was the body of 27-year-old Sharday Ware, who had also been fatally shot. The grim discovery was made by Ware's seven-year-old daughter.
The investigation into the double homicide led Birmingham police to two suspects.
Within a week of the discovery, Dewayne Barnes, 20 years old at the time, and Jermaine Tolbert were taken into custody. Both men were charged with two counts of capital murder. Authorities believed the motive for the killings was retaliation. An informant revealed that Harris was allegedly targeted as payback for the murder of Nicholas Perez, which had occurred in September of the previous year. It was suggested that Barnes and Tolbert had been hired to carry out the fatal attack on Harris.
The legal proceedings that followed brought a resolution for one of the accused. In 2016, Jermaine Tolbert went to trial and was ultimately acquitted of the capital murder charges. Details regarding the final outcome of the case against Dewayne Barnes were not as readily available in public reports. At the time of his death, Harris was married to Stephanie Harris and was the father of two daughters, Quanye' and Kaiah. He was a graduate of Fairfield High School, had attended Talladega College, and was employed at Amico.
