Raven Lynette Swain, a 24-year-old Black woman from Birmingham, Alabama, was remembered by her loved ones as a beautiful soul with a “heart of gold.” Her older brother, actor Ryan Jamaal Swain, described her as being "full of laughter," his "ride or die," and his "partner in life." Born on March 25, 1996, Raven was known for being fun, cheery, and charismatic, someone who enjoyed singing and dancing and bringing smiles to the faces of others. After graduating from high school in Birmingham, she pursued a career in the medical field, wanting to be close to her family and friends. Her life, however, was tragically and violently cut short in a city park on a summer evening.
On the evening of July 28, 2020, just after 7:00 p.m., officers from the Birmingham Police Department’s South Precinct responded to a call of a person shot in Underwood Park, in the 1100 block of 26th Street South.
Witnesses reported hearing gunshots and seeing a person with a handgun running from the area. When police arrived, they discovered a car that had gone into the bushes near the park's entrance. Inside, unresponsive in the driver's seat, was Raven Swain. She had sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy later determined a bullet had entered under her left arm, passed through her lung, and lodged in her heart.
The initial investigation by Birmingham Police Department detectives yielded little physical evidence at the scene beyond five shell casings. The case broke open, however, when investigators uncovered a sinister murder-for-hire plot orchestrated from behind prison walls. The mastermind was identified as Raven’s boyfriend, Demarcus Chandler, who was an inmate at the West Jefferson Correctional Facility on other charges at the time of the murder. The investigation revealed that Chandler had hired another man, Solomon Minatee III, to kill Raven.
The motive, according to prosecutors, was Chandler's belief that Raven had stolen money from him while he was incarcerated. Investigators discovered a cell phone Chandler had hidden in a pipe at the correctional facility. An examination of the phone revealed text messages between Chandler and Minatee orchestrating the hit. On the night of the murder, Chandler had texted Raven, telling her to go to Underwood Park to pick something up for him. While she was on her way, Chandler was in contact with Minatee, coordinating the ambush. Shortly after Raven arrived at the park, Minatee texted Chandler, "We need the money the work is done." The agreed-upon price for Raven's life was $8,000.
In August 2020, the Birmingham Police Department announced the arrests of both suspects. Solomon Minatee III, then 24, was arrested first, followed by the charging of Demarcus Chandler. Both men were charged with capital murder. Chandler, who had a significant prior criminal record, remained in the custody of the state correctional facility.
The case proceeded through the Jefferson County court system. In April 2025, after an eight-day trial, a jury found Demarcus Chandler guilty of capital murder for his role in orchestrating Raven's death. Raven's mother, Lolita Braxton, sat through the entire trial, later stating, "He didn't show no remorse whatsoever." The jury recommended the death penalty by a vote of 10-2, and a judge subsequently sentenced Chandler to death. Following the verdict, Braxton expressed her relief and her belief that her daughter was smiling down, saying "Yes, mom I knew you weren't going to give it up."
A year later, in April 2026, the hitman, Solomon Minatee III, pleaded guilty to murder. His trial had been pending following Chandler's conviction. Following his sister’s death, Ryan Jamaal Swain posted a moving tribute, promising justice. "We will honor you by how we love," he wrote. "We will honor you by how we live. We will honor you with justice. We will forever say your name. Raven Lynette Swain." The case is now considered closed with the conviction and guilty plea of the two men responsible for her murder.
