On a late spring evening in Lynchburg, Virginia, the life of 23-year-old Novaa Erica Jade Boykin was tragically cut short. On June 14, 2021, Boykin was fatally shot in the parking lot of a Family Dollar on Fort Avenue. Emergency services responded to a report of a malicious wounding at 5:55 p.m. and transported him to Lynchburg General Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. The incident was investigated by the Lynchburg Police Department as a homicide.
For over a year and a half, the case remained under investigation. Then, on January 24, 2023, the Lynchburg Police Department announced an arrest in connection with Boykin's death. Markeem Devante Dance, a 23-year-old from Lynchburg, was taken into custody. At the time of his arrest for the homicide, Dance was already incarcerated on unrelated charges.
Dance faced multiple charges related to the death of Boykin, including second-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Following his arrest, he was transported to the Blue Ridge Regional Jail, where he was held without bond. The investigation into the death of Novaa Erica Jade Boykin was described as ongoing, with authorities continuing to seek information from the public.
