On a sudden and tragic day, September 30, 2023, the life of Jessica M. Beyers Romich, a 47-year-old female business owner from the Rochester, NY area, was cut short. As she was leaving her business in the Town of Gates, she was approached in the parking lot on Pixley Industrial Parkway and fatally shot. Police officers who were called to the scene found her with a single gunshot wound and she was deceased upon their arrival.
The subsequent investigation by the Gates Police Department led
them to a suspect: Malik Black, a 48-year-old former employee of Romich's business, Everdry Waterproofing. Black, who was also known as Ernest Dunham, had a violent past and was on parole for a prior murder conviction from 1993, having been released in 2020. He had worked for Romich, who had given him a chance at employment despite his history.
Prosecutors revealed that on that fateful afternoon, Black drove to the business with the intent to confront Romich. He had targeted her for money and when she refused to provide him with a loan, he shot her. This violent act was described by the Assistant District Attorney as deliberate. Black was subsequently arrested and in October 2023, a grand jury indicted him on charges of first-degree murder and a weapons charge.
In December 2024, a Monroe County jury found Malik Black guilty of Murder in the 1st Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 3rd Degree. On January 29, 2025, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. During the sentencing, it was noted that this was the second person Black had killed in Monroe County during his lifetime. The court's decision ensured that he would not have the opportunity to harm another family.
