In the early hours of a Tuesday in Monticello, Arkansas, the life of 21-year-old JaMarius Raymon Lewis, a male resident of the town, was tragically cut short. On April 10, 2018, his body was discovered along a walkway at the Turtle Creek Apartments on North Slemmons Street. The cause of his death was determined to be a gunshot wound, marking a violent end to a young life. The Arkansas State Police were called in to assist the Monticello Police Department in the homicide investigation that followed.
Just a day before his untimely death, Lewis had been released from the Drew County jail. He had been incarcerated since the previous November in connection with an aggravated robbery that occurred in August of the prior year. In a turn of events, the charges against him were reduced to aggravated assault, and he was sentenced to five years of probation, leading to his release on that Monday afternoon. His freedom, however, was tragically brief, lasting only until the fatal encounter early the next morning.
The investigation into Lewis's murder led to the arrests of two local men. The first suspect, 25-year-old Shawn Binns, was taken into custody on a Thursday morning on Barkada Road. Not long after, a second suspect, 31-year-old Keddrin Walls, was also apprehended by the Monticello Police. Both men were charged with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of JaMarius Lewis.
Following their arrests, both Shawn Binns and Keddrin Walls were held at the Drew County detention facility. A judge set their bonds at $500,000 each as they awaited their first court appearances. The investigation continued as authorities worked to piece together the events that transpired on that fateful night at the Turtle Creek Apartments, leaving a community to mourn the loss of a young man whose life had taken a tragic and final turn.
