Two men in Arizona have been arrested for allegedly shooting a pregnant 16-year-old woman and her unborn child, who were discovered dead in a park last month. Jurrell Davis, 36, who authorities say is the father of the victim’s child, and Jechri James-Gillett, 18, were arrested last week and charged with two counts of murder in the death of Zariah F. Dodd.
Davis is also charged with having sexual contact with a minor and possessing a weapon while prohibited by law.
According to a news release from the Phoenix Police Department, officers responded to the area of 55th Avenue and Osborn Road shortly before 6 a.m. on July 5 for a report of “unknown trouble.” When first responders arrived at the scene, they reported finding an unresponsive female with an apparent gunshot wound. Emergency medical personnel from the Phoenix Fire Department arrived shortly after and pronounced the victim dead.
Detectives from the department’s Homicide Unit took over the investigation and identified the victim as Dodd. A subsequent autopsy revealed that Dodd was approximately 22 weeks pregnant at the time of her death.
Police announced on Friday that the previous day, investigators identified and arrested two men — Davis and James-Gillett — as suspects in Dodd’s murder.
Davis made his first court appearance this week, and prosecutors from the Maricopa County Prosecutor’s Office provided additional information about the allegations against him and James-Gillet, according to Phoenix NBC affiliate KPNX.
According to the report, authorities have evidence that Dodd left her home at the Sunshine Residential group home in Surprise, Arizona, around 8 p.m. on July 4, telling her family she was going to meet with her unborn child’s father. That evidence also suggests that Davis was the one who picked up Dodd from his home.
Deputy County Attorney Ashley Stetson told the court that Dodd was about to have a formal forensic interview with investigators looking into charges against Davis for impregnating her.
The prosecutor also reportedly stated that Davis and Dodd were “dating” and that DNA testing on Dodd’s unborn child confirmed Davis as the father.
When asked about his reaction to the arrests and the allegation that Davis was the father of Dodd’s unborn child, the victim’s father told local Fox affiliate KSAZ that it was “disgust.”
“I mean, he’s 36, 30-whatever, it’s traumatizing,” he told the station. “But I’m glad they found the people who did this. That was my primary goal in terms of the investigation, and how it was presented. There are many mixed emotions. I would like to follow this. I want to stay on top of it so that my daughter and granddaughter can get more justice.”
Davis is currently held in the Maricopa County Jail on a $1,025,000 bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 11. James-Gillett is being held in lieu of a $1 million bond and is set to appear in court again on Thursday.
