16-Year-Old Charged As Adult In East St. Louis Killings Of Five Family Members
A 16-year-old boy is being prosecuted as an adult on 12 felony counts after five members of one Illinois family were killed and two others were wounded in a series of shootings that authorities say unfolded across multiple East St. Louis locations.
Ja’ymeir M. Davis faces five counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated battery, one count of dismembering a human body, one count of aggravated vehicular hijacking and one count of unlawful use of a stolen firearm. Prosecutors filed the charges in St. Clair County Circuit Court on July 14, 2026.
A 15-year-old girl, whose name has not been publicly released because she remains within the juvenile justice system, has also been charged through a juvenile delinquency petition that includes first-degree murder allegations. The St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office has said it intends to seek her transfer into adult criminal court.
Both teenagers are accused of participating in what Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly described as a targeted mass shooting. The charges remain allegations, and both defendants are presumed innocent unless prosecutors prove their cases beyond a reasonable doubt.
Five East St. Louis Family Members Identified as Victims
The five people killed were identified by authorities as:
- Patricia A. May, 74
- Cherie L. May, 49
- Shania W. Thompson, 25
- Devin D. May, 24
- Quentin L. Thompson, 21
The victims represented several generations of the same family. All five were related to the 15-year-old suspect, according to Illinois State Police. Two additional relatives were wounded and taken to hospitals for treatment.
Marcus May, the father of the younger suspect, told local reporters that the dead included his mother, sister, nephew and two stepchildren. His account revealed the scale of a tragedy that did not claim victims at one isolated scene but instead devastated one family across different parts of the city.
Court records identified the two surviving victims as Tiffany Thompson and Santosha Scott. The criminal complaint alleges that Thompson was shot in the neck and Scott was shot in the back. Both survived and were reported to be recovering at a hospital.
Investigation Began After Human Remains Were Discovered
The investigation began on July 12 after the East St. Louis Police Department requested assistance from the Illinois State Police Public Safety Enforcement Group.
Authorities said human remains had been discovered near the Samuel Gompers Homes, a public housing complex in East St. Louis. The victim was later identified as Cherie May. Investigators then connected her death to four other fatal shootings and two nonfatal shootings involving members of the same family.
The discovery changed what could initially have appeared to be a single homicide investigation into a sprawling case involving several victims, multiple crime scenes and allegations stretching across approximately one week.
Investigators found Cherie, Patricia and Devin May at or near the Samuel Gompers Homes, according to local reporting based on statements from St. Clair County Coroner Calvin Dye Sr. Shania Thompson was found near 39th Street and Summit Avenue, and Quentin Thompson was found at Jones Park.
The number of locations and the alleged sequence of events required investigators to reconstruct when each victim was last seen, where each shooting occurred, how the suspects traveled and whether the same firearm was connected to the crimes.
Court Documents Suggest the Killings Unfolded Over Several Days
What we now know from the charging documents is that the deaths may not have occurred during one continuous Sunday shooting spree.
Prosecutors allege that Cherie May was killed sometime between July 5 and July 7—several days before police discovered her remains. Patricia May and Devin May were allegedly killed between July 11 and July 12. Shania Thompson and Quentin Thompson were allegedly killed on July 12.
The attempted murder, aggravated battery and vehicular hijacking allegations also relate to events prosecutors say occurred around July 12.
That timeline is important because it suggests investigators are examining a sequence of coordinated acts rather than a confrontation that suddenly escalated at one place. It also raises questions about how the suspects allegedly moved between locations and how much time passed before authorities connected the victims.
Officials have not disclosed a motive in court documents. Public statements from relatives have offered possible explanations, but prosecutors have not formally adopted those accounts as the state’s theory of the case.
Prosecutors allege a stolen 9mm Pistol Was Used.
The complaint alleges Davis possessed and used a stolen 9mm handgun during the offenses. The unlawful-use charge specifically accuses him of possessing a stolen firearm while committing first-degree murder.
Investigators will likely rely heavily on forensic evidence as the prosecution develops. In a case involving several locations, firearm analysis can help determine whether shell casings, bullets or other physical evidence recovered at separate scenes came from the same weapon.
The aggravated vehicular hijacking count alleges that Davis took a white 2015 Chevrolet Traverse by force or the threat of force. Authorities later located the teenage suspects in a vehicle and arrested them at an Illinois state park after law enforcement officers tracked their movements.
Police have not publicly released a complete account explaining how the vehicle, firearm and individual crime scenes are connected. Those details may emerge through probable-cause filings, forensic reports, witness testimony and future court hearings.
Dismemberment Charge Involves Patricia May’s Body
Among the 12 charges, one count accuses Davis of dismembering a human body.
Court documents allege that Patricia May’s right thumb was severed after she was killed. Authorities have not publicly explained why the mutilation allegedly occurred or whether they believe it was connected to an attempt to access property, conceal evidence or accomplish another objective.
Because prosecutors have not presented evidence publicly supporting a specific explanation, any claim about the purpose of the alleged act would be speculation.
The dismemberment allegation is legally separate from the five murder counts. Prosecutors must therefore prove the elements of that offense independently, even if it is presented to a jury alongside evidence concerning the deaths.
Why the 16-Year-Old Is Being Tried as an Adult
Davis entered adult criminal court automatically because of his age and the first-degree murder charges.
Under Section 5-130 of the Illinois Juvenile Court Act, a defendant who was at least 16 when an alleged offense occurred is excluded from juvenile jurisdiction when charged with first-degree murder. That provision allows prosecutors to file the case directly in adult criminal court without first obtaining a discretionary transfer order from a juvenile judge.
This legal classification does not establish guilt. It determines where the case begins, which court procedures apply and how the defendant will be prosecuted.
Davis appeared on the 12 charges and was ordered to remain in custody. The St. Clair County Public Defender’s Office was appointed to represent him.
The 15-year-old suspect’s legal path is different. Because she was younger than 16 at the time of the alleged crimes, her case did not qualify for the same automatic exclusion provision. Prosecutors must ask a juvenile court to authorize her transfer into the adult system.
Until a court grants that request, juvenile confidentiality protections limit the information authorities may release about her identity, allegations and court proceedings.
Authorities Have Not Announced an Official Motive
Court documents describe the alleged crimes but do not state why the family was targeted.
Marcus May has publicly said his daughter was angry with relatives and had plotted the attacks with Davis, whom he identified as her boyfriend. Those statements provide family context, but they have not been established as fact through testimony or evidence tested in court.
Investigators may examine text messages, phone records, social-media activity, prior family disputes, location data and witness accounts as they attempt to establish intent and determine how the alleged plan developed.
A motive is not always required to obtain a murder conviction. Prosecutors, however, often use motive evidence to help jurors understand why a defendant allegedly acted and how separate pieces of evidence fit into a coherent sequence.
Multiple Agencies Worked Across the Three Crime Scenes
The case required cooperation between East St. Louis police, Illinois State Police investigators, the St. Clair County coroner and county prosecutors.
Illinois State Police agents presented their findings to St. Clair County State’s Attorney James Gomric on July 14. His office then approved the 12 adult charges against Davis and filed the juvenile petition against the 15-year-old suspect.
Investigators must now organize evidence connected to at least three locations, seven shooting victims, an allegedly stolen firearm and a vehicle-hijacking accusation. They must also establish which defendant allegedly participated in each act.
That process can involve firearm testing, autopsy findings, fingerprints, DNA analysis, surveillance footage, cellphone extraction, vehicle examinations and interviews with survivors and other witnesses.
The Five Murder Counts Remain Separate Allegations
Each first-degree murder count corresponds to an individual victim. Prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Davis was legally responsible for each death.
Illinois law can impose criminal responsibility on someone accused of directly committing an offense or of intentionally helping another person commit it. The specific theory prosecutors intend to use against each teenager has not yet been fully described in publicly available filings.
The attempted murder counts similarly require proof that the accused acted with the intent to kill the two surviving victims. The aggravated battery counts address the injuries allegedly caused by firearm use.
Although the charges were filed together, every count requires supporting evidence. A jury would be instructed to consider each allegation separately rather than treating the number of accusations as proof.
East St. Louis Family Faces a Loss Spanning Three Generations
Behind the criminal complaint is a family mourning five people ranging in age from 21 to 74.
Patricia May was the oldest victim and the family’s matriarch. Cherie May was 49. Shania Thompson, Devin May and Quentin Thompson were young adults whose deaths expanded the tragedy across three generations.
Surviving relatives are also facing medical recovery, funeral expenses, counseling needs and the emotional consequences of seeing two teenagers accused of destroying much of their family.
The investigation may eventually explain how the alleged attacks were planned and carried out. No court outcome, however, can reverse the loss that brought detectives to multiple East St. Louis neighborhoods and left one family preparing several funerals at the same time.
What Happens Next in the East St. Louis Murder Case
The case against Davis will proceed through adult criminal court. Prosecutors will continue presenting evidence supporting pretrial detention, while defense attorneys will receive and examine police reports, forensic findings, witness statements and other discovery materials.
Possible future proceedings include preliminary hearings, grand jury action, motions challenging evidence, competency evaluations, plea negotiations, and, unless the case is resolved earlier, a trial.
