On a summer evening in Warren, Michigan, what began as a gathering among acquaintances at a pool party tragically escalated, culminating in the death of 26-year-old Johnice Phyllis Marie Clark. The Black / African American woman was fatally shot on June 5, 2021, following a dispute that spilled out onto the streets with deadly consequences.
The initial argument at the party, reportedly with another woman, seemed to be the catalyst for the violence that followed.
After leaving the event, Clark and a friend found themselves in a terrifying high-speed chase. The pursuing vehicle was driven by Ashinay Nakabree-Caprice Horton-Starks, who was 23 years old at the time. During the chase, Horton-Starks fired multiple shots into Clark's vehicle, striking her in the head. The chase ended at a nearby 7-Eleven, where Clark succumbed to her injuries.
The investigation into the shooting led Warren police to identify Horton-Starks as the primary suspect. However, she managed to evade capture for nearly seven months. In a poignant turn of events, U.S. Marshals apprehended her in Bismarck, North Dakota, on December 29, 2021, which would have been Johnice Clark's birthday. Horton-Starks was then extradited back to Michigan to face charges. The investigation also resulted in the arrests of two other individuals connected to the case. Schakerra Starks, then 43, and Martise Zorn, then 22, were both charged with tampering with evidence.
In September 2023, Ashinay Horton-Starks appeared in court and pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of second-degree murder, along with other charges. This plea was part of an agreement that saw the initial charge of first-degree premeditated murder amended. Subsequently, Horton-Starks was sentenced to a term of 19 to 31 years in prison, with an additional two years for a felony firearm conviction, bringing a chapter of the tragic case to a legal close.
