When I saw the East St. Louis case… I felt like I was reading the same nightmare all over again. nt
This week, 16-year-old Ja’ymier Davis and his 15-year-old girlfriend are accused of targeting seven members of her own family, leaving five dead. Prosecutors say they wanted to eliminate anyone standing in the way of their relationship. Authorities also revealed reports of an Instagram “hit list” and a message she allegedly sent him:
“Babe, I’m finna lose my whole family for you.”
Those words immediately took me back to 1999.
Back then, 14-year-old Ashley Jones and her 16-year-old boyfriend, Geramie Hart, were convicted of carrying out one of the most brutal family attacks I’d ever covered.
Ashley let Geramie into the home while her family slept.
Her grandfather, Deroy Nalls, was sht, stbbed, beaten, and set on fire.
Her grandmother, Millie Nalls, was attacked in her bed and died from gunshot and stb wounds.
Then they turned to Ashley’s 10-year-old sister, Mary Elizabeth Jones.
According to court records, Geramie pointed a gun at the little girl.
Ashley said:
“No… let me do it.”
Mary Elizabeth was stbbed multiple times. Somehow, she survived by pretending to be dead until Ashley and Geramie left the room.
Then, despite her injuries, she escaped the burning house they had set on fire to destroy evidence and ran to a neighbor’s home for help.
While awaiting sentencing at age 16, Ashley told reporters:
“I’m not as bad a person as everybody thinks. They portrayed me as the devil… which is untrue.”
A member of the family said something about Ashley that has stayed with me for decades:
