Jared James Thomas Aplin, 25, was found fatally shot inside a vehicle at 1212 Whitson Street in Bay City, Texas, on January 24, 2023. The location was the former Linnie Roberts Elementary School. Law enforcement classified the death as a homicide.

Investigators identified and arrested multiple suspects. A 16-year-old juvenile and 17-year-old Clarence Kimble Small were initially charged in connection with the killing. On April 19, 2023, U.S. Marshals apprehended Yashua Verntral Lee Caesar near Wharton County; he was charged with murder and aggravated robbery and booked into the Matagorda County Jail. By September 2024 legal proceedings were still ongoing; Small, who had turned 18, was scheduled to stand trial on October 1, 2024, on murder and aggravated robbery charges, facing a potential 5 to 99 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine if convicted.

Aplin was born December 16, 1997, in Galveston, Texas. He is survived by his wife, Kayla Rodriguez; daughters Khalani and Jania Lynn Aplin; son Eric Jayasi; parents Kathy and Michael Martinez; sister Cassie Aplin; and brother Dakota Aplin. Anyone with information about the case is asked to come forward.