In the early morning hours of Sunday, January 10, 2016, the community of Monticello, Arkansas, was shaken by a grim discovery that would unravel a story of violence. Jeremiah Jones, a 37-year-old male, was found deceased inside a car, the victim of a fatal gunshot wound. The tragic scene was first reported to the Monticello Police Department around 6:20 AM, leading them to a residence at 120 South Chester Street.
Not far from where Jones's body was located, authorities found 37-year-old Shalonda Binns, who had also been shot and killed inside the house. A third individual, Lavar Thompson of Dermott, was discovered at the same address with a gunshot wound and was transported to a Little Rock hospital for treatment. Initially considered a victim, the investigation soon took a dramatic turn.
As detectives from the Monticello Police Department and Special Agents of the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division delved into the case, evidence began to point towards Thompson as the perpetrator. It was revealed that Thompson, along with Jeremiah Jones and another friend, Kareena Gold, had been drinking and gambling at a local establishment earlier that morning. After losing most of his money, an agitated Thompson was driven by Gold, with Jones also in the vehicle. It was during this car ride that Thompson reportedly shot both Jones and Gold. Jones died immediately, while Gold, despite a gunshot wound to the head, managed to escape and seek help.
Following the initial shooting, Thompson proceeded to the home of his ex-girlfriend, Shalonda Binns. There, he broke into the residence and fatally shot Binns, who was in a bedroom with her boyfriend, Markeia Jamison. A struggle ensued between Thompson and Jamison over the firearm, during which Jamison shot Thompson before fleeing and contacting the police.
An arrest warrant for capital murder was issued for Lavar Thompson, and he was apprehended in Little Rock on January 12, 2016, by agents of the U.S. Marshall Service. Thompson stood trial and was ultimately convicted of two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Jeremiah Jones and Shalonda Binns, one count of attempted first-degree murder, and one count of aggravated residential burglary. For his crimes, he received three life sentences plus an additional fifty years in prison. An autopsy later confirmed that Jeremiah Jones's cause of death was definitively a gunshot wound right above his eye.
