5 Family Members Dead, 2 Teens Charged With Their Murders

Murder is without a doubt one of the worst crimes anyone can commit, and it’s even more of a heinous act when it occurs between flesh and blood.

Illinois has been reeling over the recent news of five family members in East St. Louis who were killed following a murder plot between two teenagers, the youngest of the pair being a relative to the deceased.

A recent press release from the Illinois State Police confirmed the victims as 74-year-old Patricia A. May, 49-year-old Cherie L. May, 25-year-old Shania W. Thompson, 24-year-old Devin D. May and 21-year-old Quentin L. Thompson. Two other people were also injured in the July 12 attack, which occurred at multiple locations in the East St. Louis area. Ja’ymier Davis, 16, is being tried as an adult with multiple hard hits against him, including five counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated vehicular hijacking, unlawful possession of a stolen firearm and dismembering a human body. Authorities are hoping to get his 15-year-old accomplice, who’s being processed in juvenile court, charged as an adult in a crime she ultimately masterminded.

More details below, via CBS News:

“Court documents don’t reveal a motive. But Marcus May, the father of the 15-year-old, told local news media that the girl was upset with family members and plotted the attacks with Ja’ymeir Davis, her boyfriend.

‘I can’t show her no sympathy,’ May said. ‘She chose to do this.’

May said he lost a nephew, two stepchildren, his mother and a sister. They were 74, 49, 25, 24 and 21 years old.”

While most of the shootings were carried out this past weekend, court filings revealed that 49-year-old Cherie May, sister to Marcus, was killed days earlier. Some gruesome details have also been shared, including confirmation that Davis cut off the right thumb of Patricia May, Marcus’s mom.

An investigation is underway to determine the why behind many unanswered questions that have left many in a state of shock. Those looking to support the May and Thompson families can visit the GoFundMe set up in their memory.

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