Jurors in Oakland County began weighing the fate of 46-year-old Gregory Keyier-Deniro Davis today, in a closely watched case involving the fatal shooting of his ex-girlfriend outside a Royal Oak Township car dealership. Prosecutors say the May 20, 2023, shooting unfolded in the parking lot of Legend Motors on Eight Mile Road as the couple’s then-10-year-old daughter sat in the passenger seat and watched. The trial opened on Tuesday and was moved to the jury by the end of the week.
According to The Oakland Press, jurors are considering a first-degree homicide charge along with multiple firearm counts in a case being heard by Judge Kwame Rowe in Oakland County Circuit Court.
Charges and the prosecutor's account
In a May 2023 press release, the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office charged Davis with first-degree premeditated murder, assault with intent to murder, felonious assault, felon in possession of a firearm and four counts of felony firearm, second offense, noting that the homicide charge carries a potential life-without-parole sentence. The office's statement says Davis allegedly followed the victim into the dealership parking lot, shot her as she tried to flee, then fired again at close range and at bystanders before surrendering later that day. "This is a horrific and tragic incident," Oakland County Prosecutor Karen D. McDonald said in the release, per Oakland County.
How prosecutors say it unfolded
Prosecutors allege Davis used his vehicle to trap the victim's car in the lot and then opened fire with a 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun, according to reporting that summarized the prosecutor's release. Coverage compiled by Law&Crime describes that sequence and the allegation that the weapon was taken from someone else before the shooting.
Vigil and family response
Days after the killing, family, friends and co-workers gathered at the dealership for a remembrance, with local reporting highlighting efforts to support the victim’s daughter, including a GoFundMe to help with expenses. The dealership owner told FOX 2 Detroit that the victim was like family and that the community has rallied around the child.
What's next
With jurors now behind closed doors, a verdict could come as soon as this week. If convicted, Davis faces the penalties outlined in the prosecutor's release, including mandatory prison terms for the felony-firearm counts and life without parole for first-degree premeditated murder. Criminal charges are accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty, a language reiterated in the county’s materials and echoed in coverage as the court awaits the jury's decision, per Oakland County.
