Teen couple charged in devastating East St. Louis family killings.
Five members of one East St. Louis family were killed and two others wounded in a series of shootings that prosecutors allege involved a 15-year-old girl and her 16-year-old boyfriend.
What authorities first described as a shooting spree on July 12, 2026, has developed into a far more complex case. Court records indicate the deaths may have occurred across several days, beginning as early as July 5 and ending with violence at multiple locations on July 12.
As we examine the public record, prosecutors have charged 16-year-old Ja’ymeir Davis as an adult with 12 felony counts. The unidentified 15-year-old girl faces allegations in juvenile court, where prosecutors are seeking permission to transfer her case to adult criminal court. Both teenagers remain presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Five relatives killed across three generations
Illinois State Police identified the five people killed as 74-year-old Patricia A. May, 49-year-old Cherie L. May, 25-year-old Shania W. Thompson, 24-year-old Devin D. May, and 21-year-old Quentin L. Thompson.
The victims represented three generations of the same family. Relatives have identified Patricia May as the 15-year-old suspect’s grandmother, Cherie May as her aunt, Shania and Quentin Thompson as her siblings, and Devin May as her cousin.
Two additional relatives, Tiffany Thompson and Santosha Scott, survived gunshot wounds. Thompson is the teenage girl’s mother, according to relatives interviewed by local news organizations, and Scott is her cousin.
Police said the connected crime scenes included the Samuel Gompers Homes public housing complex, an area near North 39th Street and Summit Avenue, and Jones Park. Three victims were found at the housing complex; one was found near 39th Street and Summit Avenue, and another was killed at Jones Park, where two people were also wounded.
The widespread nature of the crime scenes initially made the investigation appear to involve separate incidents. Authorities later linked the shootings through the victims’ family relationships, physical evidence and the teenagers who were taken into custody.
Court records describe a multi-day East St. Louis homicide case.
The first publicly released police statement said five people had been killed in what Illinois State Police called a targeted shooting against a family. Later court filings indicated that the violence may have started approximately one week before police discovered the full scale of the case.
According to the criminal complaint against Davis, Cherie May was killed sometime between July 5 and July 7. Patricia May and Devin May were allegedly killed between July 11 and July 12. Shania Thompson and Quentin Thompson were killed on or around July 12.
Tiffany Thompson and Santosha Scott were also allegedly shot on July 12 but survived. The two attempted murder charges and two aggravated battery counts filed against Davis are connected to their injuries.
At Davis’ July 15 detention hearing, a prosecutor presented a more detailed account of the alleged sequence. The prosecutor said Cherie May was shot multiple times and that her remains were later placed inside a container near the public housing complex.
The state also alleged that Devin May entered an apartment as the teenagers were dealing with evidence connected to Cherie May’s death. Prosecutors claim Davis then shot Devin.
Patricia May was later allegedly brought to the same apartment. Prosecutors said she was shot and that her right thumb was removed after her death. The state alleges the thumb was intended to provide access to her phone. These claims have not been tested at trial.
Teen suspects arrested after vehicle stop.
Illinois State Police said officers took the 15-year-old girl and Davis into custody on July 12 after stopping the vehicle Davis was driving. Police used a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) maneuver to force the vehicle to stop near Frank Holten State Park.
At the detention hearing, prosecutors said officers saw a handgun inside the vehicle. They also alleged that police discovered Patricia May’s severed thumb in one of the doors.
Investigators later connected shell casings recovered at the crime scenes to the firearm found in the vehicle, according to the prosecution’s presentation. An ATF trace reportedly identified the weapon as belonging to Tiffany Thompson.
The firearm had been reported stolen on July 7. A relative told NBC Chicago that Thompson normally stored it in a locked box. Prosecutors allege the 15-year-old girl obtained access to the weapon before the shootings.
Police also allege Davis took a white 2015 Chevrolet Traverse by force. That accusation led to an aggravated vehicular hijacking charge. Prosecutors say Shania Thompson’s body was later found inside the vehicle.
Ja’ymeir Davis faces 12 felony charges as an adult.
St. Clair County prosecutors charged Davis with five counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated battery involving a firearm, one count of dismembering a human body, one count of aggravated vehicular hijacking and one count of unlawful use of a stolen firearm.
Because Davis was 16 when the alleged offenses occurred, Illinois law allows the first-degree murder case to begin automatically in adult criminal court. The St. Clair County Public Defender’s Office was appointed to represent him.
A judge ordered Davis to remain in custody following his first appearance. Prosecutors argued that releasing him would create a serious threat to the surviving victims and the public.
The defense challenged the prosecution’s description of the case. Davis’ attorney said the state had presented the wrong narrative and argued that evidence would ultimately show Davis was being pursued or manipulated rather than acting as the primary aggressor.
The 15-year-old girl cannot be publicly identified through ordinary juvenile court records. Prosecutors filed a juvenile delinquency petition containing first-degree murder allegations and other charges.
The state has said it plans to ask a juvenile judge to transfer her case to adult court. Unlike Davis’ case, the transfer is not automatic because she was younger than 16 when the alleged crimes occurred. The transfer request will require a separate judicial decision under Illinois juvenile law.
The alleged motive remains disputed and unproven.
Charging documents do not provide an official motive for the five deaths. Family members have told reporters that they believe the teenagers’ romantic relationship contributed to the violence, claiming some relatives had opposed the couple being together.
Lamarion Smiley, who is married to survivor Santosha Scott, said the teenagers had previously run away together. He alleged that they wanted to target relatives who objected to the relationship.
Smiley also claimed relatives had become aware of an online list connected to possible threats before the shootings. Authorities have not publicly confirmed the complete contents, authorship, or legal significance of that alleged list.
At the detention hearing, prosecutors referred to messages they believe were exchanged between the teenagers. The state alleges the messages discussed moving a body and killing additional relatives.
Prosecutors also said Davis referred to money when speaking with investigators about Patricia May’s death. That claim has not established a complete motive, and the defense has disputed the prosecution’s overall version of events.
Because the criminal proceedings are still in their early stages, statements by relatives, police, and prosecutors remain allegations rather than proven findings. Investigators will still need to establish who fired each shot, how the suspects allegedly participated, whether the killings were planned together, and what role each teenager may have played.
Family remembers five lives beyond the criminal case.
Relatives have described Patricia May as a deeply loved grandmother and family matriarch. She had reportedly worked for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville for many years before retiring.
Shania Thompson hoped to build a career in food and eventually open a restaurant, according to family accounts. Quentin Thompson was remembered as an artist who enjoyed drawing and anime.
Devin May was the father of a young daughter. His wife described him as a devoted father, a hardworking man, and someone who cared deeply about his family.
Cherie May, Patricia May, Devin May, Shania Thompson, and Quentin Thompson have now become the center of a case defined in court by charges and evidence. For their surviving relatives, however, the loss involves a mother, grandmother, siblings, cousins, and children whose lives were connected long before the three crime scenes were linked by investigators.
Fundraising campaigns have been established to help cover funeral expenses, counseling, and support for surviving relatives. One campaign also seeks to provide long-term financial assistance for Devin May’s daughter as she grows up without her father.
What happens next in the East St. Louis murder case
Davis will remain in custody as the adult criminal case proceeds through St. Clair County Circuit Court. Prosecutors will be required to present evidence supporting each of the 12 charges, and his attorneys will have opportunities to challenge witness statements, physical evidence, alleged admissions and the state’s reconstruction of the timeline.
The 15-year-old suspect’s next major legal question is whether her case will remain in juvenile court or be transferred to adult court. Until that issue is resolved, much of the record involving her will remain confidential.
Illinois State Police and the East St. Louis Police Department continue to investigate the shootings. Authorities initially said there was no known continuing threat to the public because the attacks appeared to target one family and both suspects had been detained.
The case now carries two parallel realities. Five relatives are dead, two survivors are recovering, and a family must confront an extraordinary loss. At the same time, the courts must determine whether prosecutors can prove that two teenagers were responsible for a series of killings spread across several days and three East St. Louis locations.
