In the early morning hours of March 17, 2024, a night out for a meal with friends turned fatal for 27-year-old Jessica Somerville of Suitland, Maryland. The young mother had just finished her shift with the U.S. Postal Service and stopped at a Subway in District Heights. What began as a routine food order escalated into a violent encounter that ended her life.
While inside the fast-food restaurant, Somerville and her friends were approached by two men.
Surveillance footage from the establishment captured one of the men speaking with Somerville as she stood in line. He then walked away, only to reappear moments later with his face obscured by a ski mask. The two men followed Somerville and her companions out of the restaurant and to their vehicle in the parking lot.
The situation quickly intensified as one of the men brandished a firearm and demanded a friend of Somerville's property. A physical altercation ensued, during which the armed man struck the friend in the face with the gun before opening fire, fatally wounding Somerville. First responders arrived at the scene in the 5800 block of Silver Hill Road at approximately 2:15 a.m. to find Somerville suffering from a gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators from the Prince George's County Police Department quickly identified 22-year-old Raheem Hawkins-Boseman of Silver Spring as the primary suspect. An arrest warrant was issued, charging him with first and second-degree murder and other related offenses. For months, Hawkins-Boseman remained at large, but a citizen's tip eventually led authorities to his whereabouts. With the assistance of the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Marshals Service, he was apprehended at a residence in Leland, North Carolina. Hawkins-Boseman was taken into custody and is awaiting extradition back to Prince George's County to face trial for the senseless killing of Jessica Somerville, a woman described by her loved ones as a devoted mother and the life of the party. Police are still working to identify the second individual involved in the incident.
