Romeo Perkins

Romeo Perkins was a 16-year-old White male with a reputation for having a big, open heart. His family remembered him as a kind young man who always made sure everyone around him was safe and taken care of. His aunt, Julie Maurer, said, “Romeo had a heart, like you're never gonna replace that heart. There's never gonna be another one like him.” His mother, Amanda Acosta, called him her best friend.

In a tragic twist of fate, Romeo’s kindness may have led to his death. For three weeks, his family had provided shelter to an 18-year-old named Dupree Rollins, who was homeless. Romeo had personally asked his mother to take the young man in. In the early morning hours of July 20, 2021, an argument broke out between Romeo and Rollins inside a Phoenix apartment complex near 25th and Glenrosa avenues.

Phoenix police responded to a call about a shooting at the apartment around 4:15 a.m. When they arrived, they found Romeo Perkins inside with multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators quickly identified Dupree Rollins as the primary suspect in the killing. In the days that followed, before an arrest was made, Romeo’s grieving family reportedly received threatening social media messages from Rollins.

On August 27, 2021, less than a month after the shooting, police located and arrested Dupree Rollins. He was booked into jail and initially charged with first-degree murder in connection with Romeo’s death.

In February 2023, Rollins pleaded guilty to the charges of second-degree murder, misconduct involving weapons, and aggravated assault. He was sentenced to prison and began serving his time the next month at the La Palma Correctional Center in Eloy, Arizona.

The case came to an unexpected conclusion two years later. On March 23, 2025, Dupree Rollins, then 22 years old, died while incarcerated. The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry announced his death and stated that an investigation into the circumstances was underway as of March 2025.