On the evening of February 21, 2021, a 911 call reported a man collapsing in the middle of Tudor Court in Lakewood, New Jersey. Responding officers discovered 20-year-old Da’Jour Randolph of Little Egg Harbor with a gunshot wound to his chest. First responders transported him to Monmouth Medical Center, Southern Campus, in Lakewood, where he succumbed to his injuries.
A subsequent autopsy revealed that Randolph had sustained multiple gunshot wounds, and his death was ruled a homicide.
The investigation that followed involved multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Major Crime Unit, the Lakewood Township Police Department, and the Ocean County Sheriff's Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit. Their efforts quickly led them to a suspect, Jahvontae Debose, a resident of Lakewood. On February 23, 2021, detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Narcotics Strike Force took Debose into custody in Pleasantville following a motor vehicle stop. He was initially charged with drug and weapons offenses.
Following a thorough investigation, Debose was identified as the individual responsible for Randolph's death. On February 25, 2021, while already lodged in the Ocean County Jail, Debose was charged with the murder of Da’Jour Randolph. In January 2022, a grand jury indicted Debose on charges of murder and other offenses.
Ultimately, in March 2023, Jahvontae Debose pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter in connection with Randolph's death. He also pleaded guilty to several other charges, including unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. In June 2023, Debose was sentenced to seven years in New Jersey State Prison for manslaughter. He also received concurrent sentences for the weapons and drug offenses, with a consecutive sentence for a separate drug charge.
