In the early morning hours of November 13, 2022, the sound of gunshots echoed through an apartment complex at 8235 N. Rockwell Ave. in Oklahoma City. Responding to the disturbance, police and individuals associated with one of the apartments made a grim discovery. Inside, they found 34-year-old Dillard Tornes, a Black male, who had been shot multiple times. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Initially, investigators were faced with a mystery and had few leads to follow.
They appealed to the public for any information that could help piece together the events leading to the fatal shooting. The investigation was in its early stages, and no immediate arrests were made. The lack of a suspect left a sense of unease as authorities worked to uncover who was responsible for the death of the man described by his family as a funny, courageous, and helpful person who was a warehouse worker by trade.
As the investigation progressed, a breakthrough came from digital forensic evidence. Detectives learned that in the minutes leading up to his death, Tornes had been communicating with someone on a messaging app, TextNow. Investigators were able to trace the phone number to 22-year-old Akevia Davis. Further investigation revealed that Tornes and Davis had arranged to meet at his apartment for paid sex. A neighbor reported hearing a woman and two men arguing, followed by the sound of gunshots.
Cell phone tower data became a crucial piece of the puzzle, allowing police to track Davis's movements from a Motel 6 in northeast Oklahoma City to Tornes's apartment at the time of the shooting. Security footage from the apartment complex also captured a car entering through the front gate at the same time Davis's phone connected to the area. Shortly after the gunshots were heard, two cars were seen leaving the complex. Based on this evidence, an arrest warrant was issued for Akevia Davis, and she was taken into custody on or around December 12, 2022. She was subsequently booked into the Oklahoma County Detention Center on a complaint of first-degree murder. While the investigation suggested the possible involvement of others, information on further suspects was not made publicly available.
