In the late spring of 2020, tragedy struck in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, with the death of 28-year-old Rhakim Jamal Armondo James. On May 24th, officers from the Hattiesburg Police Department responded to a call on Franklin Street, where they discovered James's body in the road. An investigation into his death was promptly launched, leading to arrests within a week.
The investigation led to the apprehension of two individuals in connection with the death of Rhakim James. Laquon Akeem Fluker and his co-defendant, Veenesha Snow, were taken into custody. Fluker was charged with murder, while Snow faced charges of accessory after the fact to murder and hindering prosecution. At the time of his arrest, Fluker already had a criminal record with prior convictions for robbery, arson, and conspiracy to introduce contraband into a correctional facility.
While awaiting trial for the murder of Rhakim James, Laquon Akeem Fluker was involved in another serious incident within the confines of the Forrest County Jail. In March 2021, he was accused of conspiring with other inmates to assault another prisoner. This led to a separate trial where Fluker was convicted of conspiracy to commit aggravated assault. Citing his status as a violent habitual offender, a Forrest County Circuit Court Judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole for this crime. This sentence was later appealed, and in September 2024, the Mississippi Supreme Court ordered a new hearing for Fluker in the assault case, reversing a decision by the state Court of Appeals.
A tragic and violent postscript to Rhakim James's death involved his own brother, Kedrick Tevon Lee. Roughly a week after James's murder, a man named TeDarron Price was questioned by authorities in connection with the investigation. After being eliminated as a suspect and sent home, Price was fatally shot. Kedrick Tevon Lee was subsequently arrested, tried, and convicted for the first-degree murder of TeDarron Price. Lee was sentenced to life in prison.
