Mom dying next to 5-year-old son texted suspect’s name to friend moments before they were murdered: Police

An Alabama pistillate who died during a fatal shooting that besides took the beingness of her 5-year-old lad texted the sanction of the antheral suspected of committing the transgression successful her last moments.

Arkia “Kia” Berry, 28, was 1 of three people successful a car that was recovered riddled with bullets connected July 13, 2024, on with her 5-year-old lad Landyn Brooks and her 28-year-old fellow Eric Ashley Jr. According to reporting by section quality outlet Al.com, Birmingham homicide Det. Jarvelius Tolliver appeared successful tribunal for a preliminary proceeding related to the lawsuit and presented grounds from the probe into the triple homicide.

Part of the grounds included substance messages sent from the victims’ phones, including a cryptic 1 sent from Berry that seemed to sanction the suspect.

Months aft the shooting, the Birmingham Police Department arrested 25-year-old Jacorrian McGregor and charged him with superior execution successful transportation to the crime. When McGregor appeared for his preliminary proceeding connected Thursday, Tolliver stated that grounds recovered connected Berry’s telephone allegedly pointed astatine him being responsible.

According to Al.com’s reporting, Berry texted the connection “Jaco” to a person astatine 5:09 p.m. connected the time of the shooting. “Jaco” is reportedly known to beryllium McGregor’s nickname.

One of the homes successful the vicinity wherever the shooting took spot had a surveillance camera that picked up the representation of a lime greenish Kia Soul astatine 5:07 p.m. At 5:08 p.m., the bluish Nissan Maxima that was being driven by Berry tin beryllium seen.

In summation to Berry’s 5:09 p.m. text, Ashley’s telephone placed a telephone to McGregor astatine the nonstop aforesaid time.

At 5:10 p.m., the Kia tin beryllium seen connected the aforesaid camera speeding retired of the neighborhood. Tolliver stated that nary different cars were seen aft that. Police responded to the country soon aft that clip and recovered the Nissan successful a cul-de-sac, riddled with bullets. Officers astatine the country reportedly recovered Berry’s assemblage betwixt the beforehand and backmost seat, wherever her lad was found.

Tolliver said that McGregor and Ashley exchanged substance messages earlier successful the time that indicated that they were readying to conscionable up. Another witnesser to whom Tolliver spoke stated said, “McGregor told him helium had shot.”

McGregor’s attorney, John Robbins, asked Tolliver if determination was immoderate grounds that McGregor was connected to the Kia. Tolliver said determination wasn’t. When Robbins asked Tolliver if determination were immoderate imaginable witnesses that could link his lawsuit to the Kia, the detective identified Berry, saying, “She texted his sanction close earlier she died.”

Robbins countered, saying that “doesn’t mean helium was the shooter.”

The justice sided with the prosecution and ruled that determination was capable probable origin to nonstop the lawsuit to the expansive jury. McGregor was ordered to stay successful custody without bond.

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