‘If you snitch, I will kill you.’ Police reveal new details in homicide of Columbus cab driver
A 16 year old suspect likely fired the fatal shot in the recent homicide of a Columbus cab driver, according to police testimony in Columbus Recorder’s Court.
Jaevon Stephens, facing a murder charge, did not appear Wednesday but was instead represented by attorney Ralston Jarrett. Jarius Roland, 16, and Stephens’ uncle, 41-year-old Travis Scott, also face murder charges in the case.
Paul Lokey, 50, was found fatally shot when officers were called to a car crash at South Andrews Circle and 21st Avenue just after 1:30 a.m. March 25, police said.
A witness told officers they saw two juveniles, identified as Stephens and Roland, running from the scene of the incident, Detective Sherman Hayes testified.
Hayes said evidence collected from the crime scene indicates the shooter would have been sitting in the center row passenger seat of the three-row minivan. Stephens allegedly was sitting in that position during the incident, he said.
When interviewed by police, Stephens placed himself at the scene but refused to identify who pulled the trigger, Hayes said.
“He did place himself at the scene and in the vehicle,” Hayes said. “But when we asked him who pulled the trigger, he said ‘I’m not a snitch, I’m not going to tell you who it is.’”
Police retrieved a weapon at the scene and sent it to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab for ballistics testing.
Scott was injured in the crash and treated at Piedmont Columbus Regional before his arrest on Wednesday. Police interviewed him three times during his hospital stay, Hayes said, and Scott identified his nephew as the shooter.
“Scott told me that the juvenile in court today said to him at the time of the crash ‘if you snitch, I will kill you’ as he ran away from the scene,” Hayes said. “Scott also said that he was afraid of the juvenile in court today and that both juvenile defendants were ‘out of control’ and had previously been robbing people in the area.”
Jarrett, Stephens’ attorney, said that the defense plans to further investigate the allegations of his client pulling the trigger.
“I have some serious doubts about how this information was obtained,” Jarrett said. “There is supposed to be another suspect that gave up my client. We have some questions about that, and we will fight it as it comes along.”
Jarrett said confessions made after being taken into custody have to be carefully examined.
“Everything’s alleged right now but what you did hear in the testimony is that my client was not identified until the third time detectives visited Mr. Scott in the hospital,” Jarrett said. “It was after that third time that Scott started to give names and named my client.”
Hayes testified that Scott made a false statement prior to his second interview while in the hospital.
Stephens’ mother was present in court but declined to be interviewed.
Stephens will remain in jail with no bond while the case is bound over to Superior Court.
Lokey, a longtime Columbus native, was an Army veteran and the father of three daughters, according to his obituary. His death marked Columbus’ 22nd homicide of 2021. The city has had 23 so far this year.
Anyone with information in the case is asked to contact Detective Sherman Hayes at 706-225-4268. If you would like to remain anonymous, please call 706-653-3188 or text VACS plus your message to 274637 (CRIMES).
