In the early hours of March 4, 2024, the life of 36-year-old Cherri Brooks, a Black/African American mother of three, was tragically cut short in an act of violence that unfolded within the walls of a motel room in Oklahoma City. Brooks was at the Relax Inn located at 2211 NE 23rd Street when an altercation erupted, resulting in her suffering fatal gunshot wounds to her chest and abdomen. Despite being rushed to a local hospital for emergency surgery, she succumbed to her injuries.
Her mother later shared the heartbreaking detail that her daughter had bled to death.
The investigation into the shooting moved swiftly, and within two hours, law enforcement located and arrested two teenage brothers in connection with the homicide. Zaviare Swain, 19, and his younger brother, 18-year-old Demarion Swain, were taken into custody in Edmond, Oklahoma. A third individual, 20-year-old Michael Gaunt, was also identified as a suspect but had fled the state. All three were subsequently charged with first-degree murder.
As the legal process began, the Swain brothers were initially bound over for trial during their preliminary hearings in August 2024, with their arraignments set for the following month. Meanwhile, Michael Gaunt was apprehended in California and awaited extradition back to Oklahoma to face the charges against him. In a surprising turn of events in November 2024, an Oklahoma County judge dismissed the cases against Zaviare and Demarion Swain, citing a lack of sufficient evidence to proceed to a murder trial. The defense for the brothers had contended that Brooks had attacked them with a knife and a metal broom inside her room prior to the shooting. The Oklahoma County District Attorney's Office has appealed this decision, and while the appeal is pending, the Swain brothers are under court supervision and required to wear ankle monitors. Michael Gaunt remains in custody.
