A Marrero inmate who is on the run after escaping from a state work release program is considered the key witness in the upcoming trial of the man accused of murdering the inmate’s infant son.
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Police in northern Louisiana have been searching for Xevion Davis, 20, since March 4 when he walked off from City of Faith, a transitional work program in Monroe that was contracted to house him as he served a three-year sentence for drug convictions, according to the Louisiana Department of Corrections.
But Davis’ disappearance could mean a delay in the second-degree murder trial of Jonathan Manuel, 29, which is scheduled to begin in a Jefferson Parish courtroom on April 2, according to court records.
Davis has been a primary but “reluctant” witness in the case against Manuel, who is accused of killing Davis’ 10-month-old son, Xy’Ahir “Nemo” Davis, and wounding a teenager in the 2016 Marrero shooting, authorities have said.
“I think the state may try to get a continuance because of this,” Manuel’s defense attorney, Kenneth M. Willis said Wednesday (March 27). “We’re going to heavily object to that. Mr. Manuel has maintained his innocence from the outset of this investigation, and he’s eager to have his day in court to be fully exonerated.”
The Jefferson Parish district attorney’s office declined to comment on the matter because it involves an open case.
Chermaine Davis Payne, Xevion’s mother and Xy’Ahir’s grandmother, said she does not know where her son is hiding. But she has long urged him to help get justice for Xy’Ahir.
“This is so upsetting to me, right now,” Payne said Wednesday. “I need him found. I want him found. If I could do anything to find him, I would do it.”
In addition to second-degree murder, Manuel is charged with attempted second-degree murder and two counts of being a convicted felon in possession of a weapon.
Authorities say Davis was inside a home in the 2100 block of Caddy Drive in Marrero with Xy’Ahir and at least two others on the afternoon of Dec. 3, 2016, when gunmen opened fire while standing in the front doorway.
Xy’Ahir and a then-16-year-old boy were shot multiple times. But the teen survived his injuries while Xy’Ahir died a short time later.
Xevion Davis was not wounded in the shooting. He eventually identified Manuel as one of the gunmen, but the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office described him as a “reluctant” witness.
The Sheriff’s Office arrested Davis in February 2017 on a grand jury material witness warrant to secure his testimony, court records said. The grand jury indicted Manuel on April 6, 2017.
A second suspect, Andre Houston, was arrested and booked with with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and intimidation of a witness, but he was never formally charged by the district attorney’s office.
Davis was then released. But he was rearrested on various charges in 2017 and 2018.
Judge Conn Regan of the 24th JDC sentenced Davis to a total of three years in prison on Dec. 17 after he pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of cocaine, aggravated flight from an officer, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile and two counts of drug possession, court records said.
Davis was transferred into the custody of the state Department of Corrections where he qualified to take part in a transitional work program, according to spokesman Ken Pastorick. The program allows state inmates with six months to four years left on their sentence to work a job and earn money ahead of release while spending nights at a secure facility.
Davis was sent to City of Faith in Monroe on Jan. 22, Pastorick said. Davis and another work release inmate, Toby Jackson, 20, of Caddo Parish, left the facility on the morning of March 4, as usual, but never returned, according to City of Faith Director Ollie O’Neal.
“They did a random count and discovered (Davis and Jackson) were missing that night,” O’Neal said.
The pair never showed up for work that day at their respective jobs. The Monroe Police Department issued an alert about the escape, but Davis and Jackson were still on the run as of Wednesday.
Payne spoke with her son when he once called her from a private number. She demanded to know why he left the work release program, but Davis had no answer for her.
“I haven’t heard from him no more,” she said.
Though she can’t say for sure, Payne suspects it’s possible Davis left the facility to avoid testifying at trial. While housed at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna – the same place Manuel is being held – Davis told his mother that Manuel would have other inmates start fights with him. But her son’s reluctance is something Payne has never been able to understand.
“I don’t know why you don’t want to go forward and just tell the people who done this to your child and get it over with,” she said.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Xevion Davis or Toby Jackson or details about the shooting death of Xy’Ahir Davis is asked to call Crimestoppers at 504.822.1111 or toll-free at 877.903.7867. Callers do not have to give their names or testify and can earn a $2,500 reward for information that leads to an indictment.
via nola.com
https://www.nola.com
