STT. Mother’s Final Text Named a Suspect Moments Before She and Her Young Son Were Shot to Death
A single bullet claimed the life of Arkia “Kia” Berry, but her final act in the face of death left an indelible mark.
Amidst the hail of bullets tearing through the space inside the car, just seconds before her last breath left her body, Arkia Berry did something very few people could do in a moment of life and death.
She reached for the phone, her hands probably trembling with fear and pain, and typed a single word.
“Jacob.”
From that moment on, brief and cold, yet carrying with it a truth she knew she might never have the chance to express in words.
Investigators believe it’s more than just a name.
That was the final accusation.
It was a desperate but courageous effort by a mother, a woman, to defend justice even as her own life was being taken.
The incident occurred on the afternoon of July 13th in Birmingham, Alabama.
Around 5 p.m., the usually quiet residential area suddenly became the scene of one of the most shocking crimes in the region in years.
Arkia “Kia” Berry, her five-year-old son Landyn Brooks, and her partner, Eric Ashley Jr., are seated inside a blue Nissan Maxima.
None of them had a chance of escaping.
According to the police, a man approached the vehicle and fired multiple shots.
Bullets whizzed through the vehicle’s body, shattering glass, tearing metal apart, and life inside the Nissan ended in an instant.
When it was all over, three lives were lost.
A young woman.
A child who is only five years old.
And a father.
Alabama police later identified the main suspect as 25-year-old Jacorian Deshawn McGregor, who is believed to have carried out the shooting.
He is currently facing three charges of aggravated murder.
According to Detective Jarvelius Tolliver’s testimony at the preliminary hearing, the timeline of the case was reconstructed with chilling precision, down to the minute.
At 5:07 PM, surveillance cameras in the area recorded footage of a green Kia Soul entering the residential neighborhood.
Just a minute later, Arkia Berry’s Nissan Maxima appeared.
There were no unusual signs at that moment.
No screaming.
No chase scenes.
It’s just two cars entering the same space.
At 5:09 AM, Arkia Berry sent the last message of her life.
The message was just one word: “Jaco.”
A minute later, the Kia Soul sped out of the area at high speed.
No other cars left.
No one else appeared.
At 5:10 a.m., the Nissan’s automatic collision detection system triggered an emergency call.
Police were dispatched immediately.
When they arrived, the scene before them was something no officer wanted to see.
Three bodies lay motionless inside the gunfire-ravaged vehicle.
Blood.
A piece of glass.
And there were about 20 to 30 shell casings scattered all over the road.
The silence after a hail of bullets is even more terrifying than the sound of gunfire.
The following day, the police received another call.
This time it’s a report about a car on fire.
That car was a green Kia Soul.
The fire has been extinguished.
But the questions are different.
Through investigation, police determined that the Kia Soul belonged to a local resident.
This person stated that their car had been stolen “about five or six days prior.”
It is noteworthy that no reports of vehicle theft were filed with the police.
The coincidence became too great to ignore.
Meanwhile, investigators are analyzing the victims’ phone data.
Eric Ashley Jr.’s phone records show the last communication before his death.
The contact name displayed on the screen is “Jaco.”
Another detail is gradually being revealed.
Traffic cameras captured footage of a Kia Soul driving parallel to a Mercedes around the time of the incident.
Using an automated license plate recognition system, the police identified the driver of the Mercedes.
This person subsequently cooperated with the investigation.
He claimed that he spent most of that day with Jacorian McGregor.
According to the testimony, McGregor confessed to him about the shooting.
This confession became a crucial piece of the case file.
Digital forensic experts continue to analyze McGregor’s phone.
They discovered that almost all the messages on the device had been deleted on the very day the murder occurred.
However, not all of them disappeared.
Some dialogue remains.
Their contents sent chills down the investigators’ spines.
In that context, McGregor was reportedly advised to “disappear,” “hide,” and “lie low for a while.”
Detective Tolliver told the court that these messages showed a deliberate intent to conceal a crime.
Meanwhile, McGregor’s defense lawyers firmly deny all the allegations.
Attorney John Robbins stated that his client did not shoot anyone.
He emphasized that there was no video footage showing McGregor directly firing a gun.
He also argued that Arkia Berry’s text message “Jaco” could not be considered conclusive evidence to identify the perpetrator.
According to the lawyer, writing down a name does not mean confirming that person is the murderer.
But for the victims’ families, those legal arguments cannot alleviate their pain.
Arkia “Kia” Berry is more than just a name in the case file.
She is a mother.
A son.
A woman with dreams, fears, and love for her son.
A year before she was murdered, Arkia had posted a status update on Facebook.
Those words have now become hauntingly terrifying.
“Seeing all these women, all these mothers, die so suddenly has deeply haunted me.”
“In less than two weeks, we’ve lost four people.”
“I pray in the name of Jesus for all mothers.”
“May God guide and protect them.”
“Night and day.”
“Always.”
No one could have imagined that she herself would become one of those mothers.
No one could have imagined that this prayer would take the form of a painful prophecy.
Landyn Brooks, a five-year-old boy, passed away before his life even began.
I haven’t had a chance to grow up yet.
Before I could understand the world.
I didn’t even have time to dream.
Her death is a deep wound in the conscience of the entire community.
Eric Ashley Jr. also passed away with his dreams left unfulfilled.
He is a father, a partner, and a son.
Three people.
Three destinies.
Three lives were lost in just a few minutes.
And all that remains are unanswered questions.
If convicted, Jacorian Deshawn McGregor would face a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
But no matter how harsh the sentence, it can’t bring Arkia Berry, Landyn Brooks, and Eric Ashley Jr. back.
The only thing left is the final message.
A single word.
A desperate attempt.
A whisper from the boundary between life and death.
“Jacob.”
And from that moment on, justice could no longer turn its back.
