Jameisha Wilkes, a 33-year-old Black woman described as quiet, kind, and funny, was shot and killed in a stairwell at the Ascent at Mallard Creek Apartments on Strive Street in northeast Charlotte on the afternoon of November 13, 2024. Officers arrived about 3:30 p.m.; emergency personnel pronounced her dead at the scene. She left behind a 7-year-old daughter, who her mother said was her life.

Investigators quickly identified 32-year-old Dasean Vaughntane Maddox as a suspect. According to court documents, Maddox told a family member he had been unfaithful and had impregnated Ms. Wilkes. He admitted to driving to her apartment, shooting her, and taking her cell phone, which he later tried to destroy by running it over with his vehicle. Maddox was arrested later that day in Cabarrus County and brought to Charlotte; he was charged with murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon and denied bond.

The day after the shooting, detectives learned Ms. Wilkes was pregnant; on November 25, 2024, prosecutors presented an additional charge for the murder of an unborn child. Her mother, Deidra Howard, remembered her as caring, quirky, and the best mother she could be. If anyone knew Ms. Wilkes, lived near the Ascent at Mallard Creek Apartments, or has information about the case, please share what is known.