A suspect in a triple homicide from 2024 has made a court appearance, following a text sent by one of the victims naming him in her last moments.
Jacorian Deshawn McGregor, also known as Jaco, faced Jefferson County District Judge William Bell for a preliminary hearing on April 17. During this session, Birmingham homicide Detective Jarvelius Tolliver provided testimony.
Tolliver recounted the tragic final moments of Arkia Berry, her son Landyn Brooks, and her boyfriend Eric Ashley Jr., all of whom were fatally shot inside a vehicle at Echo Highlands Park in Birmingham, Alabama, on July 13, 2024.
Upon arriving at the scene after a 911 call, police discovered the car, which had jumped a curb and was riddled with bullet holes, with the three victims deceased inside.
The investigation included reviewing surveillance footage, which captured a lime green Kia Soul entering the neighborhood at 5:07pm, shortly before the Nissan carrying the victims arrived.
Berry’s cellphone records showed she texted the word ‘Jaco’ at 5:09pm.
At 5:10pm, the footage revealed the Kia speeding away from the area, with Tolliver noting: “No other cars came out after that.”
Eric Ashley Jr.’s last phone activity included a call to a contact listed as ‘Jaco’ at 5:08pm, and earlier that day, he had called someone saved as ‘Jac’, later identified as Jacorian McGregor, according to Tolliver and reported by AL.com.
Police discovered messages indicating Ashley and McGregor had planned to meet, and both of their phones connected to the same cell tower near the crime scene at the time of the incident.
Under questioning from McGregor’s lawyer, John Robbins, Tolliver acknowledged there was no video evidence of anyone shooting from the Kia and admitted the absence of physical evidence linking McGregor to the vehicle.
Tolliver pointed out that Berry had texted McGregor’s name before her death. Robbins countered: “That doesn’t mean he was the shooter.”
After the detective’s testimony, Deputy District Attorney Charissa Henrichs asserted to the judge that there was adequate evidence for the case to move forward, a point contested by Robbins.
“The state’s case is somewhat suspect and based upon circumstantial evidence,” the defense argued, continuing, “We will certainly welcome to put this circumstantial evidence case to the test of the jury when we get to that point.”