On a tragic evening in Richmond, Virginia, the life of 20-year-old Terrell D. Thomas was cut short. On April 8, 2017, just days before his twenty-first birthday, Thomas and a friend were fatally shot in his apartment at the Midlothian Village Apartments. The incident, which also claimed the life of 18-year-old Kejuan L. Goode, sent shockwaves through their community.
Friends and family remembered Thomas as a devoted father to his young son.
Richmond police responded to reports of a shooting in the 4000 block of Midlothian Turnpike, where they discovered both Thomas and Goode inside the residence with apparent gunshot wounds. Both young men were pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation into the double homicide led to an arrest the following month.
On May 15, 2017, authorities announced that they had taken 21-year-old Jarmaine T. Free into custody in connection with the killings. Free, who was already in police custody on an unrelated charge, was indicted on multiple charges, including two counts of murder, two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The arrest brought a sense of relief to the grieving families and the wider community as they began the long road toward justice for Terrell Thomas and Kejuan Goode.
