In the late hours of a Thursday night in Virginia Beach, a dispute that began as a fistfight between two women escalated into a fatal encounter, claiming the life of 33-year-old Terrence Jerrell Houston. The male victim was a resident of Newport News. The incident unfolded on May 2, 2019, near the intersection of 11th Street and Pacific Avenue at the Oceanfront.
What started as an arrangement to exchange clothes between two groups of people at a local inn quickly devolved into a physical
altercation. Amid the chaos, Carson Carnell Davis Jr., who was 20 years old at the time, drew a firearm and opened fire. Houston was struck by the gunfire and succumbed to his injuries at the scene. A woman who was with Houston was also shot and sustained serious, life-altering injuries but survived.
Following the shooting, an investigation led to the swift apprehension of two individuals. Carson Carnell Davis Jr. of Virginia Beach was arrested and faced multiple charges, including murder, felonious assault, and two counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony. Also taken into custody was 18-year-old Zaymi Nicole Lewis, also from Virginia Beach. Lewis was charged with being an accessory after the fact and carrying a concealed weapon. A second woman who was with Davis's group was not charged, as it was determined she was unaware he was armed.
In March 2022, a jury found Carson Carnell Davis Jr. guilty of second-degree murder, aggravated malicious wounding, and two firearms charges. He was subsequently sentenced in July 2022 to a total of 88 years in prison, with all but 25 years suspended. Davis later appealed his conviction, arguing that the evidence was insufficient to prove malice and that the trial court erred in excluding certain evidence. However, his appeal was ultimately unsuccessful due to a procedural error in the filing of court documents.
Zaymi Nicole Lewis pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of accessory after the fact and carrying a concealed weapon. She was sentenced to 365 days for each charge, with 300 days of each sentence suspended, leaving her with a total of 130 days to serve.
