LaQuavis TreDevon Cooper, a 19-year-old Black man with a smile that could brighten a room, was building a life for himself and his young son. Born in Saginaw, Michigan, on July 22, 1996, to Laquitia Cooper and William Bibbs, LaQuavis had recently moved to Grand Rapids for a job at NBHX Trim U.S.A. Known to his friends and family as "Quay," he was a former student of Arthur Hill High School in Saginaw. His loved ones remember him as a man with a good heart who loved making music, creating videos, playing games, and painting cars. He was a devoted father to his son, Khalil, and was trying to create a better life for him. His sister, LaShayla, later wrote, "My brother didn't deserve to die this young; all he wanted to do was make a better life for his son an show him wrong from right."
In October 2015, LaQuavis returned to his hometown of Saginaw. On the morning of Sunday, October 18, a passerby made a grim discovery and called 911.
The body of LaQuavis Cooper was found near a playground at Fordney Park, located at Braley and Chestnut on the city's west side. An investigation by Saginaw Police and the Michigan State Police Major Crimes Unit quickly determined that he had died from apparent gunshot wounds, and his death was ruled a homicide, the eighth in Saginaw that year. Court records would later reveal the brutal details: LaQuavis had been shot twice in the head at close range.
The investigation soon uncovered a plot born of greed. Three men from Grand Rapids who knew LaQuavis had cashed a check planned to rob him. The plan was orchestrated by Charles Edward Wilson Jr., who was 17 at the time, and Jason Damonte Wrenn. They enlisted a third man, Jamal Reid, to drive them. Reid testified that he drove Wilson and Wrenn from Grand Rapids to Saginaw for the purpose of the robbery. After arriving in Saginaw, Reid dropped Wrenn and LaQuavis off near LaQuavis's home. It was in the adjacent Fordney Park that Wrenn carried out the deadly plan.
Wrenn, armed with a borrowed gun he said he only intended to use to "scare" LaQuavis, confronted his acquaintance and stole $120. During the robbery, he shot LaQuavis twice. When questioned by police, Wrenn offered several conflicting stories. He first denied any involvement, then claimed he shot LaQuavis in self-defense after being punched, and finally asserted that the gun had discharged accidentally. However, when asked to explain the second shot, Wrenn admitted that after the first shot, "his whole life flashed before his eyes and he thought of his family, he knew the penalties involved" and "he couldn't go down for this." After the murder, Wrenn shared a portion of the stolen money with Wilson.
All three men were arrested and faced justice. Jamal Reid accepted a plea agreement in exchange for his testimony against his co-conspirators. His testimony proved crucial in securing convictions against both Wrenn and Wilson. Following a jury trial, Jason Damonte Wrenn was convicted of first-degree felony murder, armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and four counts of possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Charles Edward Wilson Jr. was also convicted by a jury of felony murder, armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, and three counts of felony-firearm. In 2017, he was sentenced to 35 to 60 years in prison for the murder conviction, along with sentences for the other charges. The sentence was appealed and remanded, but in December 2020, the 35 to 60-year sentence was affirmed. The court noted Wilson's active participation in the "planned armed robbery" that "resulted in his brutal execution." The case is now considered closed, with all individuals responsible for the death of LaQuavis Cooper held accountable. Investigators had initially asked anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers or the Michigan State Police.
