Jaiden Benitez was a 20-year-old Black man from Janesville, Wisconsin, with an entrepreneurial spirit. His mother, Erica Myher, described him as a young man who ran his own business shooting music videos, a passion that took him to places like Hollywood and Atlanta. She said he was always in his element, and she has since created a memorial room in her home filled with his photos and camera equipment to honor his memory.
On the evening of April 5, 2024, Benitez was in the driver's seat
of his SUV near the 1300 block of Nelson Avenue in Beloit. According to a criminal complaint, he was there with a passenger to sell marijuana to two individuals who got into the back seat. The two then brandished firearms in an attempted armed robbery. Benitez tried to drive away, but one of the suspects in the back fired several shots into the vehicle. Benitez was fatally struck. His SUV then crashed into a pole, and he was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
The investigation led Beloit police to arrest 16-year-old Andre J. Rainey Jr. on April 11. He was initially charged as an adult with several felonies, including party to the crime of first-degree intentional homicide and attempted armed robbery. The complaint identified Rainey as one of the two people in the back seat but alleged that his accomplice was the one who fired the fatal shot.
Rainey’s case was later transferred from adult court back to the juvenile system. There, he was convicted of being party to the crime of armed robbery. A judge sentenced him to the maximum time allowed, a five-year period of supervision with the Wisconsin Department of Juvenile Corrections.
The individual suspected of firing the shot that killed Jaiden Benitez has not been arrested and remains at large. Police also stated they were looking for a third suspect who was seen on doorbell camera footage running from the scene with the other two. As of late 2024, the Beloit Police Department confirmed the homicide is still an open and active investigation. In the wake of her son's death, his mother started a nonprofit called "Directed by Jaiden’s Mom" to advocate for other families affected by gun violence. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Beloit Police Department at (608) 364-6800 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at (608) 362-7463.
