Montanae Antoinette La'Meque Shantell Davis was a 26-year-old Black woman and a mother of two young children from Dayton, Ohio. Her life was tragically cut short in an act of domestic violence on April 3, 2024.
In the early morning hours, just before she was killed, Davis placed a 911 call telling a dispatcher that her ex-boyfriend, Jamartay Brown, was threatening to "shoot up her house."
At approximately 2:49 a.m., Dayton police were dispatched to her home in the 700 block of Torrington Place following reports of a shooting. According to investigators, Brown had forced his way inside the residence. Police were told a fight occurred before Brown shot and beat Davis, then fled. Her two children, ages one and four, were present in the home but were not physically injured.
When officers and medics arrived, they found Davis in the kitchen with multiple gunshot wounds to her chest and face. She was transported to an area hospital, where she died during surgery. The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office later confirmed her identity. Police arrested Jamartay L. Brown, then 24, later that day in connection with the killing.
A Montgomery County Grand Jury indicted Brown on charges that included four counts of aggravated murder and two counts of felonious assault. In July 2024, Brown entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. After a court-ordered mental evaluation, a judge found him competent to stand trial in September 2024.
A jury subsequently found Brown guilty of the aggravated murder of Montanae Davis. He was sentenced to serve life in prison without the possibility of parole, along with an additional 25 to 30 years for other charges. Following the sentencing, Davis's mother, Melissa Dennis, said, "I'm still grieving and happy that he got life without parole." The case concluded with Brown’s sentencing, with the final developments reported in February 2026.
