Rashad Hawkins

To his family, Rashad Hawkins was a happy person known as Ray who loved R&B music, dancing to Michael Jackson, and making people laugh. His sister recalled that he thought he was a chef and loved to have cooking competitions. A father of six children with another on the way, he worked in construction, doing roofing jobs across the United States in areas hit by tornadoes and hurricanes. In May 2024, he was looking forward to starting a new job. His mother, Marlena, described him as her "baby," her firstborn.

The life of the 32-year-old father came to a violent end in the early morning hours of May 25, 2024. Just after midnight, Lake County Sheriff's deputies responded to reports of gunfire in Idlewild, Michigan, near the Chamber of Commerce. They arrived to find Rashad Hawkins, a Black man from the nearby town of Baldwin, unresponsive in the road. He was pronounced deceased at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds. Investigators later stated that the shooting stemmed from a prior dispute.

The investigation quickly led to the identification and arrest of three suspects from Idlewild. On May 30, 2024, Marquavis Darnelle Cager, 18, was arraigned on charges of open murder and carrying a concealed weapon. His bond was set at $1 million. Two others were charged as accessories after the fact to a felony. Lee Sherman Williams, 41, who was initially arrested at the scene for resisting an officer, had his bond set at $50,000. Naikita Nicole Dukes received a bond of $75,000.

The case against the three defendants concluded over two years later. All three entered into plea agreements for their roles in the death of Rashad Hawkins. In September 2026, a Michigan judge sentenced Marquavis Cager, Lee Williams, and Naikita Dukes, bringing the legal proceedings to a close.