A Durham man has been sentenced to state prison after admitting he opened fire from a passing SUV and killed a man who was simply waiting for the bus.
On Thursday, 21-year-old Jaquari Y’zell Henderson pleaded guilty in Durham County court to second-degree murder in the July 2023 drive-by that took the life of 43-year-old Benjamin Francois Morris. Henderson received a minimum of 16 years and a maximum of 20 years and one month in prison, with credit for the time he has already spent behind bars. Morris was shot while sitting on a bench in the 1000 block of N. Miami Boulevard on July 20, 2023.
Plea and sentence
Henderson entered his second-degree murder plea and was formally sentenced this week in Durham County District Court. The judge’s order included jail credit that will shorten the remaining time he must serve, bringing an end to a long pretrial stretch that followed the summer 2023 killing. As reported by the Raleigh News & Observer, the plea and sentencing followed courtroom arguments from both prosecutors and the defense.
What investigators say
Police and court records indicate investigators linked the shooting to a stolen SUV and a social-media livestream. Surveillance video from nearby businesses, along with a public Instagram Live, captured moments surrounding the gunfire. Officers say a gray SUV pulled up to the bus stop, someone fired out of a passenger-side window, and the vehicle sped off immediately after the shots.
Investigators collected multiple shell casings at the scene and later recovered a firearm that they say matched what appeared in video evidence, according to reporting by WRAL.
Co-defendants and court status
Durham police also brought juvenile petitions against two boys who were 13 and 15 at the time of the shooting. Prosecutors later secured indictments against Henderson on charges of murder, conspiracy, and possession of a stolen motor vehicle.
The city’s crime report notes Henderson’s arrest in December 2024 and the separate juvenile petitions that followed. Officials say the minors’ records are sealed because of their ages. Those filings, along with the broader police investigation, remain active as the adult and juvenile cases continue moving through the court system, according to the Durham Police Department’s public report.
Defense and family reaction
Defense attorney Sean Ramkaransingh asked the court to weigh Henderson’s difficult childhood and family situation, telling the judge that Henderson had spent years “in and out of foster homes” and ultimately turned to gang ties in search of belonging. Ramkaransingh also noted that Henderson has a young child.
Relatives of Benjamin Morris joined parts of the hearing remotely from the Miami area and described his death as a loss that left an unfillable space in their lives. Assistant District Attorney Mary Jude Darrow told the court that “it makes no sense” that the defendants opened fire at the bus stop, according to the Raleigh News & Observer.
Legal notes
Henderson was indicted on charges of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and possession of a stolen motor vehicle. His case is listed on the Durham Superior Court docket and is being handled through the public-defender system.
The two juvenile cases were filed as petitions in juvenile court and are sealed, in keeping with standard practice for minors. Public court calendars and case listings in Durham show the adult case number and the prosecutor assigned, reflecting how the matter is proceeding in both the adult and juvenile court tracks.
