On a cold January day in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the life of 14-year-old LaPorsha Nashua Wallace, a Black female, was tragically cut short. On January 30, 2021, LaPorsha, her 30-year-old mother, D'Zondria Deanternette Wallace, and her 11-year-old brother, Ja'Corbie Rashad Wallace, were fatally shot in their home on Jessie Street. LaPorsha, who was affectionately known as "Suga," was a student at Roseville Area Middle School with dreams of one day playing in the WNBA.
The horrific events
of that day unfolded after a concerned relative requested a welfare check on the family. An hour before the shooting, a police officer spoke with D'Zondria, who assured the officer that everything was fine. Tragically, this was not the case. When family members arrived at the home later, they discovered D'Zondria and LaPorsha deceased. Ja'Corbie was found still alive and was able to identify the shooter as his mother's boyfriend, "Keith," before he succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital.
The suspect was quickly identified as 26-year-old TeKeith Svyone Jones, D'Zondria's ex-boyfriend. He was apprehended the following day by a SWAT team at an apartment complex on Wilson Avenue. According to family members, D'Zondria had been trying to end her abusive relationship with Jones and had expressed fear for her life. Jones had reportedly threatened to kill her in the past.
Following his arrest, Jones was charged with three counts of second-degree murder. He later admitted to the killings, claiming he was trying to "save" the children. In November 2021, TeKeith Jones pleaded guilty to the murders of D'Zondria, La'Porsha, and Ja'Corbie Wallace. The devastating loss of the three family members sent shockwaves through the community, leaving friends and loved ones to mourn the senseless violence that took their lives.
