Back in July 2024, a small family was gunned down in a senseless act of violence. As life was leaving the young mother, she didn’t dial 911. Instead, she sent a critical text message that helped the police begin solving her alleged murder.
On Thursday, April 17, a hearing for the shooting suspect confirmed the details of what happened the night of July 13, 2024. Birmingham police say that evening, they received a report of a car wreck. However, when they arrived on the scene, police said they found a blue Nissan Maxima parked partially on the curb by the park entrance. Authorities say the car was riddled with bullets and unfortunately, had three victims inside.
In the front seat, Det. Jarvelius Tolliver testified that he found 28-year-old Arkia “Kia” Berry and her boyfriend, Eric Ashley Jr., per AL.com. In the back behind the driver’s seat, Tolliver stated he found Berry’s 5-year-old son Landyn Brooks. The detective said Berry’s body appeared to be lying across the center console — almost as if she was trying to protect her child from the hail of gunfire.
The detective said 20 to 30 shell casings were recovered from the scene with Ashley’s side of the car sustaining the majority of the gunfire, per the report. Upon investigation, police also recovered the couple’s cellphones and nearby home surveillance footage which put together a chilling timeline of the events.
At 5:07 p.m., a lime green Kia Soul entered the neighborhood.
At 5:08 p.m., Berry’s Nissan also drove onto the block.
Two minutes later, Det. Tolliver said the Kia fled at a high speed and Berry’s car crashed on the sidewalk. However, the minute after Berry’s arrival and presumably during the gunfire, she sent one last text message: “Jaco.”
In her boyfriend’s phone, police found a contact labeled “Jaco” which belonged to 25-year-old Jacorrian McGregor. From social media, the man appeared to use the nickname “Jac” or “Jaco,” per police. A search of his phone came up short as many of his messages were deleted. However, Det. Tolliver said many of the remaining messages sent to him advised him to “lay low” or “stay hidden.” He wasn’t arrested until February 2025 after the district attorney’s office deferred issuing the warrant last year.
Despite the defense’s argument that the case was built of circumstantial evidence and that Berry’s last message didn’t imply McGregor was the shooter, the judge found probable cause to charge him with capital murder in the three deaths, per ABC’s WBMA. He will remain in jail until the case proceeds with the grand jury.