Christopher Jakim Small, a 37-year-old father of five, was a man whose life was rooted in family. Born on April 8, 1980, in Kings County, New York, to his parents Cynthia Small and Glenn Evans, he eventually made his home in Henderson, North Carolina. At the time of his death, he resided at 333 Red Clay Lane. He was a beloved father to his sons, Qydarius, Caiden, and Camron Small, and his daughters, Kadeja Bryant and Jakya Manning. His life, full of promise and connection to his loved ones, was violently cut short in the early hours of June 17, 2017.
The night before his death, Christopher attended a bachelor party at a house in the nearby town of Oxford. At the party, which had between 35 and 40 guests, an exotic dancer was hired to perform. Christopher spoke with the dancer and paid her $300 to meet him after the party. Unbeknownst to him, this arrangement would set in motion a fatal chain of events.
The dancer left the party around midnight with two men, Akeem Rumeal Grissett, who had driven her there, and another male friend. They began to follow Christopher’s car.
After some time, Christopher pulled over on a dirt road, and Grissett’s vehicle stopped behind him. The dancer got out to speak with Christopher, who expressed his discomfort with the presence of the two other men and asked if they could wait at a nearby store. The dancer relayed this request to Grissett, who became angry and refused to leave her. When the dancer returned to Christopher’s car to suggest meeting another time, Grissett followed her, leading to a direct confrontation with Christopher. The encounter escalated into a physical struggle between Grissett and Christopher, which ended with Christopher being shot and killed in what was described as a robbery attempt.
The investigation into the homicide was led by the Vance County Sheriff's Office. On June 28, 2017, Sheriff Peter White announced that two individuals from Fayetteville, North Carolina, had been arrested in connection with the murder. Akeem Rumeal Grissett and Tatiana Deamor McKoy were taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon. Both were held without bond. Authorities also announced they were searching for a third individual, an unnamed male friend of Grissett’s who was present at the scene and known only by the alias "Memphis." He was described as a light-complexioned Black male, approximately six feet tall with a slim build and medium-length hair.
A funeral service for Christopher was held on June 23, 2017, at Antioch United Church of Christ in Henderson, followed by his burial at Mt. Calvary Holy Church cemetery. Family and friends gathered to mourn the profound loss of a son, father, and brother, remembering a man taken from them by a senseless act of violence. The community was left to grapple with the tragedy as the search for justice began.
The case against Akeem Rumeal Grissett proceeded to trial in Vance County. The jury ultimately acquitted him of the first-degree murder charge but found him guilty of second-degree murder and robbery with a firearm. Grissett later appealed his conviction, but the Court of Appeals of North Carolina found no error in his trial, and his conviction was upheld in a decision issued in August 2023. The legal outcome for his co-defendant, Tatiana Deamor McKoy, is not clear from available public records. Likewise, there have been no subsequent public announcements regarding the identification or arrest of the third suspect known as "Memphis."
As of the latest available information, the case has seen a partial resolution with the conviction and failed appeal of Akeem Grissett. The Vance County Sheriff's Office had initially asked for public assistance in the case, urging anyone with information to contact them at (252) 738-2200 or Henderson-Vance Crime Stoppers at (252) 492-1925. The questions surrounding the other two individuals allegedly involved in Christopher Small’s death leave his family still waiting for complete justice.
