Kerieda Beavers is behind bars for murdering her boyfriend, Tevael Parker, of nearly three years during an argument outside their home in Summit County, Ohio.
On the morning of Jan. 9, 2016, Beavers and her boyfriend, along with two others, left their home in Akron and walked to the corner store to purchase beer.
On their way home, Beavers and Parker, who allegedly had a volatile relationship, got into a heated argument, according to WYMT.
The people they were walking with had gone ahead of them.
When they reached an area near Weehawken Place and Dahlgren Drive, police officials believe that Beavers told Parker she was going to kill him before she pulled out a gun and opened fire.
She shot at him three times, but one of the bullets struck him in the chin and traveled to his brain.
Witnesses reported seeing someone driving a gray car down the street after hearing gunshots.
When first responders arrived on the scene, they found Parker laying on the sidewalk with a .22 caliber handgun beneath him.
A firearms analyst from the Bureau of Criminal Investigation later confirmed that it was the same gun used to shoot Parker.
Paramedics transported Parker to Akron City Hospital, where the 22-year-old succumbed to his injuries the following day, Jan. 10, 2016.
Police officials stated that when Parker’s relatives learned of his shooting, one of them attacked Beavers. She sustained injuries and was taken to the hospital.
It was there that investigators ascertained that she had a blood alcohol level of 0.338, more than four times the legal limit in the state of Ohio.
When she was released from the hospital, detectives questioned her for three hours, during which time she maintained her innocence.
Beavers’ attorney argued that she did not kill Parker and that it was a possibility he committed suicide, but the medical examiner’s office had ruled his death a homicide.
He also claimed that the shooter could have been one of the occupants in the gray car.
Despite his efforts, law enforcement officers arrested Beavers on charges of one count of murder, felony murder, and felonious assault.
She was booked into the Summit County Jail.
During the trial, Beavers’ attorney called the investigation “botched” because he said the “police found no gunshot residue on Beavers’ hands or clothes nor her DNA on the gun that shot Parker.”
“Kerieda Beavers was scientifically excluded from committing this crime. At the end of this trial, I am firmly convinced we will all be asking ourselves why we were here in the first place,” said Beavers’ attorney.
Prosecutors contended that Beavers being the shooter was the “most logical explanation,” as she was the only person with Parker at the time of the shooting.
On Nov. 23, 2016, a Summit County jury deliberated for two days before they found Beavers guilty of second-degree murder with a firearm specification and felonious assault with a firearm specification.
The following month, Beavers was sentenced to life in prison.
“I am pleased my office was able to secure justice for this victim and his family,” the judge said in a statement. “I will continue to aggressively prosecute gun violence in our community.”
Beavers will be eligible for parole after serving 18 years.
In June 2018, Beavers filed an appeal, but the Summit County Court of Common Pleas upheld her conviction.