On a cold December day in Fayetteville, Arkansas, the life of 27-year-old Shaletian Robin Zetta Larry, a female from Conyers, Georgia, was tragically cut short. The events that led to her death began to unfold on the afternoon of December 26, 2020, when reports reached the Arkansas State Police about a black 2006 BMW 325i being driven recklessly in the southbound lanes of Interstate 49.
The car, bearing a Georgia license plate, was later seen taking the 67A off-ramp.
As state troopers converged on the area, a witness reported a horrifying sight: a woman's body falling from the vehicle before it sped away. When authorities arrived at the scene, they found Shaletian deceased. The interstate off-ramp was closed for several hours as special agents from the Arkansas State Police processed the crime scene, officially launching a homicide investigation. The state medical examiner was tasked with determining the precise manner and cause of her death, which was later attributed to gun violence. A. 40 caliber spent shell casing was recovered from the scene.
The investigation quickly led law enforcement to a Fayetteville apartment complex, the Village Lake apartments, where they located the BMW. It was later determined that the license plate on the car belonged to a vehicle registered to Shaletian. The suspect, 29-year-old Lazarus Reaves of Fayetteville, was detained after he stepped out of the residence with the keys to the BMW in his pocket. A search of his apartment and the vehicle yielded multiple firearms. Further investigation revealed that police had been called to the same apartment earlier for a disturbance involving both Reaves and Shaletian.
Lazarus Reaves was arrested in connection with the shooting and faced a potential capital murder charge. He was subsequently held on a $250,000 bond. The tragic incident left behind a grieving family and community, who remembered Shaletian as a beautiful soul and a cherished best friend.
