In the early morning hours of October 18, 2014, the life of 32-year-old Lakisha Marie Neal, a Black / African American female from Minneapolis, was tragically cut short inside a downtown Minneapolis strip club. Neal, a single mother to a teenage daughter who worked as a personal care assistant for the disabled and elderly, was at Augie's Bourbon Street Cabaret when an argument erupted with another woman.
This altercation would prove to be the final moments of her life.
The dispute was with 29-year-old Jasmine Nicole Jones of St. Paul. The two women had a history of animosity, and on this night, their long-standing feud escalated into a physical fight. Bouncers at the club intervened and separated the two women. However, the conflict was far from over. Shortly after the initial separation, as both women moved toward the back of the establishment, the argument reignited with deadly consequences.
In a sudden and violent turn of events, Jones produced a handgun and shot Neal in the head. The single gunshot was fatal, and Lakisha Marie Neal was pronounced dead at the scene just after 1 a.m. In the aftermath of the shooting, Jasmine Nicole Jones fled the nightclub. Later that same day, she turned herself into the Hennepin County Jail, bringing a handgun with her.
Jasmine Nicole Jones was subsequently charged with second-degree murder. During her trial, surveillance footage from the nightclub was presented which captured the fatal moment. After deliberating for four days, a jury found Jasmine Nicole Jones guilty of the second-degree murder of Lakisha Marie Neal. Following the verdict, she was taken into custody and was later sentenced for her crime.
