On a late Thursday night in November 2015, the lives of several people in Texarkana, Arkansas, were irrevocably altered by a violent home invasion. At the Beacon Point Apartments on Arkansas Boulevard, 22-year-old Travon Staten was in his upstairs unit when a knock came at the door. Shortly after he opened it, a group of masked men stormed into the residence, and the sound of multiple gunshots echoed through the complex. When police arrived around midnight on what was now Friday, November 20th, they discovered a grim scene. Travon Staten was found deceased inside his apartment, a victim of the gunfire.
The initial investigation into the double homicide, which also claimed the life of 33-year-old Julian Bolton of Texarkana, Texas, quickly pointed towards a drug-related motive. Authorities found narcotics, money, and several weapons at the scene, suggesting the home invasion was a robbery gone wrong. Miraculously, a pregnant woman and a small child who were inside the apartment during the violent encounter were physically unharmed. As detectives pieced together the events of that night, they identified Justin Damone Johnson as a primary suspect in Staten's death.
In the wake of the deadly shooting, the Texarkana Arkansas Police Department launched an intensive investigation. Their efforts led to the arrest of Justin Damone Johnson, who was subsequently charged with capital murder in connection with the death of Travon Staten. Johnson faced a trial in May 2017, where the prosecution argued that he was a key participant in the robbery that led to the fatal shooting. However, Johnson's defense attorney contended that witness identification was unreliable in such a traumatic event. Ultimately, the jury acquitted Justin Damone Johnson of the capital murder charge. Another man, Rashod Rushing, was charged with second-degree murder in the death of Julian Bolton, who was found outside the apartment complex.
