Lang
9/20/20
Two teens have been arrested in connection with a Cedar Rapids murder case earlier this summer.
According to a news release from Cedar Rapids Police, 17-year-old Christian Dider Emedi and 16-year-old Marshawn Ladarius Jeffries are each charged with 1st Degree Murder and Obstructing Prosecution. Emedi was already in custody at the Linn County Juvenile Detention Center on unrelated charges, while Jeffries was taken into custody in Davenport.
The two are accused of killing Malik Sheets on June 18th. Police say on that date officers were dispatched to 1058 Regent Street NE regarding a report of shots fired. Upon arrival, officers found Sheets on the floor of the living room suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
An autopsy revealed Sheets died from gunshot wounds to his neck and chest. Officers interviewed witnesses to the shooting and learned an argument had ensued between several people at the residence during which time subjects later identified as Emedi and Jeffries produced handguns. Based on witness accounts, investigators determined Emedi initially fired several shots at Sheets. After Sheets fell to the floor, Jeffries fired several more shots into Sheets. The defendants all fled the scene after the shooting.
A 24-year old male drove the two defendants, along with one of the defendant’s 17-year old girlfriend, to a residence in North Liberty, where they took showers, changed clothing, and arranged to discard the clothing they were wearing at the scene of the shooting. The two defendants and the 24-year old male were later apprehended together in Gurnee, Illinois. When interviewed by police, all three initially denied being at the residence, but later admitted they were present when Sheets was shot but denied doing the shooting. Police also interviewed the 17-year old female (the girlfriend of one of the defendants) who obstructed officers’ efforts to locate evidence and the defendants, who had fled the state to avoid arrest and prosecution.
The investigation is still active and ongoing.