On March 31, 2019, a tragic sequence of events in Grand Rapids, Michigan, led to the death of 35-year-old Mikeya Sheniece Day, a Black/African American mother of four. The incident began to unfold when a blood-covered Day was seen knocking on a door in the 800 block of Hancock Street, desperately seeking help. Before police could arrive, she left the scene.
She was later taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead from a gunshot wound.
The investigation swiftly identified Day's boyfriend, 31-year-old Jamar Terrelle Purdle, as the primary suspect. Purdle had accompanied Day to the hospital but showed no signs of physical injury himself and was arrested shortly after her death. Witnesses in the neighborhood where Day had sought help reported hearing screams and a gunshot around the time she was seen. Further investigation revealed that prior to the shooting, Day and Purdle were in a vehicle on Hancock Street near Eastern Avenue. Day's uncle was on the phone with her and overheard an escalating argument between the couple concerning drugs and money. During the heated exchange, Day's uncle heard a struggle, followed by Day saying, 'You ain't going to do me like that,' and then a loud noise that was later determined to be a gunshot.
Jamar Purdle was subsequently charged with open murder, possession of a firearm by a felon, carrying a concealed weapon, and felony firearm. His criminal history, which included prior convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm and larceny from a person, led to him being prosecuted as a habitual offender. Court records also revealed a history of domestic abuse, with previous girlfriends having obtained personal protection orders against him, citing threats and physical violence. One woman alleged he had a 'huge temper' and she was 'scared for her life,' while another stated he had beaten her multiple times.
Following a trial, Jamar Purdle was convicted of second-degree murder, carrying a concealed weapon, felon in possession of a firearm, and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. He was sentenced as a fourth-offense habitual offender. For the second-degree murder conviction, Purdle received a prison sentence of 680 to 960 months.
