In the winter of 2017, the life of 25-year-old Deavon L. Jacobs, a Black / African American man from Richmond, Virginia, was tragically cut short. On the night of January 8th, police were called to a Motel 6 on Greshamwood Place in South Richmond. Inside one of the rooms, they discovered Jacobs unresponsive, having sustained a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
This devastating event unfolded just months after his family had been thrown into turmoil by the disappearance of his sister, Keeshae Jacobs, in September 2016, though authorities have stated the two cases are not connected.
The investigation into Deavon Jacobs' death moved swiftly. The very next day, on January 9, 2017, police arrested 39-year-old James D. Henshaw in connection with the fatal shooting. Initially charged with murder, Henshaw maintained that the shooting was an act of self-defense, alleging that an argument over a rental car escalated to a physical altercation where Jacobs threatened him.
The legal journey that followed was fraught with anguish for the Jacobs family. Henshaw was later released on bond, a decision that deeply pained Deavon's mother, Toni Jacobs, who became a vocal advocate for her son. In February 2018, a jury convicted Henshaw of second-degree murder and recommended a 15-year prison sentence. However, this verdict was later overturned when a judge granted Henshaw a new trial, citing that certain evidence which could have supported a self-defense argument had been withheld from the jury.
Ultimately, instead of proceeding with a new trial, James Henshaw accepted a plea deal. He pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with five years suspended. With credit for time already served, the man responsible for Deavon Jacobs' death was expected to serve approximately three and a half more years behind bars. For a family already grappling with the unresolved disappearance of a daughter, the outcome of the legal proceedings for their murdered son felt like a profound injustice.
