TEXARKANA, Ark. — A high-stakes trial in Miller County concluded Thursday as a jury found Ja’mauri Martavious Davis guilty of second-degree murder for the 2022 shooting death of 19-year-old Keunta “Bubba” Gilliam. Following the verdict, Davis was sentenced to 15 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections.
A Deliberation of Degrees
The trial, presided over by Judge Brent Haltom, centered on whether Davis’s actions met the threshold for first-degree murder. Second-degree murder, a Class B felony in Arkansas, carries a sentencing range of six to 30 years.
The path to a verdict was not without tension. The jury deliberated for nearly four hours, at one point informing the court they were deadlocked 11-to-1. However, after Judge Haltom read additional instructions urging a sincere effort to reach an agreement without violating individual consciences, the panel returned with a unanimous decision in less than an hour.
The Fatal Transaction
The prosecution, led by Prosecuting Attorney Connie Mitchell, painted a picture of a “gun deal gone south.” According to evidence presented at trial:
- On December 4, 2022, Davis met Gilliam at an apartment on East 24th Street.
- Text messages revealed a friend warned Gilliam at 3:13 p.m. that Davis had brought a firearm.
- By 3:21 p.m., the first 911 calls were placed.
“As he was backing out of the door, he raises his gun and shoots,” Mitchell told the jury during closing arguments, emphasizing that the timeline of digital evidence left little room for doubt regarding Davis’s involvement.
The Defense’s Argument
Defense attorney Bobby Forrest Jr. pushed for an acquittal, citing a lack of physical evidence and questioning the credibility of the prosecution’s key witness—a friend of the victim who had been present during the shooting. Forrest argued that the investigation suffered from “tunnel vision,” suggesting other individuals in the apartment could have been responsible.
A Mother’s Grief
Before sentencing, the courtroom heard a victim impact statement from Tiffany Jordan, Gilliam’s mother. She described her son as a young man who loved music, fashion, and his family.
“He wasn’t perfect, but he was perfect for me,” Jordan told the court. “I loved my baby and he loved me too.”
The 15-year sentence marks the end of a legal chapter for a case that has remained under local scrutiny since the 2022 incident.
