Rodney Hamilton was a 52-year-old father remembered by his family as a man people loved to be around. A Black man, he worked as a security guard at Reba's Bar and Grill in the west side of Charlotte, North Carolina. His sister said he was simply doing his job on the night he was killed.
In the early morning hours of December 9, 2023, Hamilton was sitting in his car outside the bar on Camp Greene Street when he was shot four times.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers were stationed nearby and heard the gunshots. They quickly located Hamilton, who was suffering from multiple wounds. He was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.
The investigation immediately pointed to Jamar Demontae Davis, then 37, as the primary suspect. Davis, a U.S. veteran with a Purple Heart, was located and arrested just minutes after the shooting following a police chase. After an interview with detectives, he was charged with first-degree murder and transferred to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office.
The case concluded in July 2025 when Davis accepted a plea deal. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of second-degree murder and was sentenced to a minimum of 15 years in prison.
Rodney Hamilton’s family, who had wished for the case to go to trial, attended the hearing and expressed their profound grief over the sentence. "Our hearts ache every day," his sister, Montiece Oglesby, said. In the Mecklenburg County courtroom, Hamilton’s wife, Adreanne Gilmore, spoke directly to his killer, calling him a monster. Another family member, Marilyn Hamilton, felt the outcome offered "some closure. But no justice." They chose to focus on their cherished memories of the man they loved.
