In the winter of 2023, the life of 21-year-old Vionta Yancey Jr. was violently cut short in a Buckhead apartment complex in Atlanta, Georgia. On the night of January 14th, officers responded to a call at The Atlantic Brookwood apartments where they discovered Yancey had been shot. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His mother, LaTina Mitchell, later revealed the painful details that her son had not only been shot but also brutally beaten inside one of the apartments.
She recounted her last conversation with him, a FaceTime call around 10:00 p.m. that same evening, where he assured her he was okay, only for her to receive the devastating news of his death within the hour.
The investigation into the young man's death moved forward, and about a month after the incident, the first breakthrough came with the arrest of 18-year-old Matthew Chalmers. He was taken into custody and subsequently charged with murder and aggravated assault in connection with Yancey's death. For Yancey's mother, seeing the accused killer in court during his arraignment was a necessary part of her healing process. Chalmers was denied bond, ensuring he would remain in custody as the legal proceedings began.
For over two years, a second individual connected to the violent death of Vionta Yancey Jr. remained at large. The search for this final suspect concluded in May of 2025 when the U.S. Marshals Service apprehended 21-year-old Kentae Compton in Albany, Georgia. His arrest marked the closing of a long and painful chapter for Yancey's family. Compton is facing charges of murder and aggravated assault, the same as his alleged accomplice. Following his capture, he was expected to be extradited to Fulton County to face the charges related to the night that ended a young man's life and left a family searching for justice.
