‘Very definition of a tragedy.’ Columbus man pleads to manslaughter in teen’s slaying
Apollonia Davis thought the family friend who killed her 13-year-old son with a shotgun blast to the torso should have gone to prison for murder.
She was against letting Jaquayvius Keywaun Jones plead to voluntary manslaughter in a deal negotiated by prosecutors and defense attorneys to close the case on the Jan. 17, 2020, slaying of her son Jamareion Davis.
For charges stemming from Davis’ death and three other felony cases, Jones was sentenced to a total of 30 years, with 16 to serve in prison and the rest on probation.
Standing Friday before Superior Court Judge John Martin, Apollonia Davis objected, saying apologies and plea deals would not restore her son’s life.
“I don’t feel that it’s right,” she said, of Jones adding, “There ain’t nothing he can do. ‘I’m sorry’ ain’t going to bring him (Jamareion) back. There ain’t no way you can make this right. So no, I don’t accept it, because I’m going to have nothing. I’ve just got memories and pictures.”
Martin accepted the plea deal, saying he had to balance considerations for all involved, and nothing could make up for the family’s loss: “Unfortunately, there are a few cases where no sentence will be able to bring anybody back,” he said.
‘Bad decisions”
“This is the very definition of a tragedy,” Assistant District Attorney Peter Hoffman told the court as he recounted the boy’s death at the hands of a friend.
Investigators said Jones, 18 at the time, had been living with Jamareion’s family in their home in the 800 block of 32nd Avenue. The family said he was close friends with Jamareion’s older brother, and they took him in when he needed a place to stay.
That evening Jones and Jamareion reportedly got into some sort of dispute that led to Jones’ picking up a loaded 12-gauge shotgun before it went off, the pellets hitting Jamareion in the chest, investigators said. Jamareion was pronounced dead about 8 p.m. that Friday.
It was the worst of a series of mistakes Jones made, and further evidence he needed a mental evaluation, Hoffman told the judge: “Mr. Jones makes bad decisions. He has this pattern of making bad decision after bad decision.”
Jones had a pattern of getting arrested, getting free on bond, and getting arrested again, Hoffman said, adding Jones cut off an ankle monitor he was ordered to wear as a condition of his release.
Jones’ attorney, public defender Steve Craft, agreed that Jones had “a consistent history of bad choices” and needed a mental health evaluation for a possible developmental disability. Had he been evaluated and treated after previous offenses, instead of being released, he might not be in his current predicament, Craft said.
Court records list an array of allegations under Jones’ name. Besides pleading to voluntary manslaughter and using a gun in a crime, in Jamareion’s death, he pleaded guilty in these other pending cases:
- Theft by taking on Jan. 12, 2019. Records show he stole a 2015 Nissan Altima.
- Second-degree burglary on Jan. 19, 2019. Records show he broke into a Forrest Road building and stole a 2007 Ford Taurus from the property owner.
- Theft by receiving stolen property on March 15, 2019. No details of this offense were in the available records.
Penalties for those crimes will run concurrent to his sentence in Jamareion’s case, with no additional prison time. Jones is 20 years old now.
‘Like family’
Outside the courtroom, Apollonia Davis said Jones still has much of his life ahead of him, and her son does not.
“It’s not fair,” she said. “He’s still young. He’s still got his whole life. My son’s gone, and we’ll never get him back.”
She talked about taking Jones in, when he needed a place to stay: “Jaquayvius lived with me for like six months to a year. So, you know, he became like family. We all just treated him like he was one of my children.”
She said she was not home when the shooting happened, so she had to rely on others’ accounts.
“Him and my youngest son got into a little argument or whatever, and he had the shotgun and shot my son in his bedroom,” she said. She thought Jamareion was hit in the back, but investigators said the pattern of the shotgun pellets was concentrated on his chest.
Jamareion’s two sisters, then ages 6 and 8, were home at the time, and were shocked by what they witnessed, with lingering trauma, the mother said.
“My girls have anger problems now. They’re scared of loud noises,” she said. “They ask, ‘Why’d he do it? Why’d he kill my brother.’ I ain’t got no answers.”
She said one daughter told her the last words she heard Jamareion say to Jones were “Quit playing.”
She’ll remember Jamareion as an upbeat, friendly child people loved, she said.
“My son was very happy, energetic. He’s outgoing. Every time you’d see him, he had a smile. He always smiled,” she recalled.
“He didn’t get into trouble. He was normal. He loved riding bikes. He’s a people person,” she said, of his abrupt death adding, “I’m not sure what could have happened in that little time.”
This story was originally published October 17, 2022 at 2:22 PM.