On a spring evening in 2018, the life of 28-year-old Antwaune Deshon Keys, a Black male from Muskegon, Michigan, was tragically cut short. In the late hours of May 20th, in the 2300 block of Jefferson Street in Muskegon Heights, Keys was shot in the chest during what he described to responders as a robbery. Before succumbing to his injuries, he managed to tell those who came to his aid that he had been attacked by multiple masked individuals. This act of violence marked the first homicide in Muskegon Heights that year.
The initial investigation into Keys' death was a challenging one for law enforcement. With the assailants' faces obscured, immediate identification was difficult. The Muskegon Heights Police Department, in collaboration with the Michigan State Police Task Force, began the arduous process of piecing together the events of that fatal night. Investigators found a single bullet casing at the scene, a crucial piece of evidence in their quest for justice. The police chief noted that they had reason to believe the shooting was not a random act and that Keys had likely been targeted by people with whom he was acquainted. Keys' girlfriend informed the authorities that he had been driving her car, which was later found in the city of Muskegon.
As the investigation progressed, the pieces of the puzzle began to come together, leading to the identification and eventual arrest of four individuals in connection with the murder and robbery of Antwaune Deshon Keys. The suspects were named as James Dekoydrick Scott, Kiyore R-Shun Oakes, Jah'dajia-monic Juan-naye Applewhite, and Branden Calvin-lee Robinson. The charges brought against them were severe, including open murder, armed robbery, and felony firearm offenses. The community, shaken by the violent death of a young father, closely followed the developments in the case, hopeful that justice would be served.
The legal proceedings that followed the arrests brought a measure of closure to the family of Antwaune Keys and the wider Muskegon community. After a thorough judicial process, guilty pleas were entered by the accused. James Scott, Kiyore Oakes, and Branden Robinson all pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, armed robbery, and felony firearm charges. For his role in the crime, Scott was sentenced to a term of 30 to 60 years in prison. Oakes received a sentence of 25 to 50 years, and Robinson was sentenced to 20 to 40 years of incarceration. The fourth individual, Jah'dajia-monic Applewhite, pleaded guilty to a charge of armed robbery and was sentenced to serve between 12 and 30 years in prison. These convictions and sentences marked the culmination of the efforts of law enforcement to hold the perpetrators accountable for the senseless death of Antwaune Deshon Keys.
