In the quiet, early morning hours of January 28, 2019, the life of 18-year-old Arnold Adams III, a White/Caucasian male known affectionately as Trey, was tragically cut short in his hometown of Chickasha, Oklahoma. A former football player for both Alex and Chickasha high schools, Trey was described by those who knew him as a fun-loving and happy-go-lucky young man with a contagious smile. He was at a hopeful juncture in his life, eagerly anticipating the birth of his child with his fiancée.
This bright future was violently extinguished when he was shot in the chest just a short distance from his home.
The events leading to his death began to unfold around 2:30 a.m. when Trey received a phone call that lured him outside. He was ambushed and shot around 3 a.m. behind a local Dairy Queen. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The subsequent investigation by the Chickasha Police Department and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation revealed a sinister plot orchestrated by a group of individuals who had allegedly planned to rob him.
The investigation uncovered that the suspects had arranged a purported drug deal with Trey via Snapchat with the intention of robbing him of marijuana. The plan was allegedly set in motion when one of the suspects, Dmillion Williams, expressed his desire to commit a robbery. A 15-year-old female, Vivian Sanders, then reportedly used the social media app to set up the transaction with Trey, whom the suspects had never met. The group then traveled to Chickasha, where the fatal encounter took place. During the staged deal, Williams, armed with a firearm, allegedly shot and killed Adams.
In the aftermath of the homicide, law enforcement identified six individuals believed to be involved in the crime. Authorities moved swiftly, taking four suspects into custody. These included 19-year-old Troy Jennings, 16-year-old Brooklyn Nelson, 15-year-old Vivian Sanders, and 15-year-old Montana Simpson. All four were charged with first-degree murder. Two additional suspects, 16-year-old Dmillion Williams and 18-year-old Malcolm Jackson, remained at large for a period, with law enforcement considering them armed and dangerous and offering a reward for information leading to their arrests.
