On a Christmas Eve morning in Brookhaven, Mississippi, the life of 17-year-old Jaquarius Jones came to a violent end. It was December 24, 2015, when a sequence of events, described by police as a robbery gone wrong, culminated in a fatal shootout. The incident also claimed the life of 22-year-old Julian Gayten.
The story of that morning began to unfold when police received a call at 7:01 a.m. about a male who had collapsed in the road on Flora Street.
That individual was Jaquarius Jones, who was then transported to King's Daughters Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Not far from where Jones was found, Julian Gayten was discovered deceased at his residence on North Jackson Street. Both men had died from gunshot wounds in what investigators believe was an exchange of fire with each other.
The investigation into the double homicide soon pointed to a suspected setup. According to law enforcement, the incident was rooted in an attempted robbery of Gayten. This led to the arrest of a third individual, 17-year-old Marionne Shalik Keys. Police alleged that Keys had been in communication with both Jones and Gayten. It was believed that she had discussed robbing Gayten with Jones, while also being in contact with Gayten himself. Authorities suggested that Keys had pitted the two men against each other.
Following her arrest, Marionne Keys was charged with conspiracy to commit robbery and conspiracy after the fact to commit murder. Her bond was set at $50,000. While initial reports detailed her arrest and the charges against her, the subsequent legal proceedings and the final outcome of her case have not been publicly reported in the available online sources. The case was still noted as being under investigation in early 2018. The mother of Julian Gayten disputed any claims that the incident was drug-related, stating her belief that her son was targeted for an insurance settlement he had received.
