A federal jury began deliberating this week in the case of a father and son accused of gunning down Warren letter carrier Jont'e Davis in his mail truck more than two years ago, weighing cell phone location data and surveillance footage against defense claims that another similar truck may have been involved. Thomas Sledge, 46, and his son Kaprise Sledge, 25, face a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted of murdering a federal employee and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
Davis, a 33-year-old letter carrier for the Warren Post Office, was shot around 1:45 p.m. on March 2, 2024, while in his mail delivery vehicle on Olive Avenue NE, according to WKBN. An account of the shooting mentions a truck and gunfire. Davis was a father of 10 children, and residents heard gunshots and rushed outside to help him, according to the Tribune Chronicle. Resident testimony described Davis's mail truck drifting uncontrolled down the street into a stop sign after he was shot.
Tracking the Truck From Crime Scene to a Warren Backyard
Investigators say they moved quickly to identify the vehicle spotted at the shooting. The government has presented evidence concerning the truck in connection with the shooting. Hours after the shooting, law enforcement located the suspect vehicle — a gray 2013 Dodge Ram pickup truck associated with Kaprise Sledge — parked behind a residence at 429 Maryland Avenue NE in Warren, according to the Tribune Chronicle. The Mahoning Valley Crisis Response Team served a search warrant at that property and recovered evidence, the outlet reported.
Authorities also conducted another search after Davis was killed, per WKBN's reporting. The station provided additional reporting about the case.
Cell Tower Data Takes Center Stage
WKBN reported that the government's opening statement relied on an eyewitness who allegedly saw the truck and gunfire. The government has presented cell-phone information in the case, according to WKBN. The defense has offered a different view of the evidence, according to the station. Federal investigators used cell tower location data from AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile within a 150-meter radius of both the shooting scene and the location where the suspect truck was found, as reported by Postal Times. A U.S. Postal Inspection Service agent testified about writing the emergency warrants shortly after the shooting, the outlet noted.
The cited account did not report whether Thomas or Kaprise Sledge testified or whether either defendant presented defense evidence. Attorneys for both men addressed the charges, while U.S. Judge Donald C. Nugent presided over the case. Nugent heard proceedings in the case, and jurors are now deliberating in federal court in Cleveland.
A Grand Jury Indictment and a Death Penalty Decision
A grand jury indicted the Sledges, and the case proceeded to trial with jury selection and testimony reported. The father and son face severe potential penalties. The indictment charges both men with murdering a federal employee and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, per the U.S. Department of Justice. The indictment includes a firearm charge under Section 924(c). The article also discusses the prosecution's handling of investigative materials.
Thomas Sledge and Kaprise Sledge are father and son, according to the Tribune Chronicle. The Justice Department also discussed the investigation into Davis's death.
Part of a Grimmer National Pattern
Davis's killing sits within a broader surge in violence against postal workers nationwide. Armed robberies of mail carriers rose 30% in 2023 to 643 incidents, with robberies causing injuries doubling to 61 as part of a sixfold growth in carrier robberies over the past decade, according to CBS News. Postal inspectors have noted that thieves frequently target carriers for universal arrow keys and financial mail. In response, the U.S. Postal Service and Postal Inspection Service launched Project Safe Delivery in 2023, an initiative that resulted in more than 2,400 arrests and a 27% reduction in letter carrier robberies nationwide by early 2025, according to the U.S. Postal Service. As the Warren jury deliberates, Davis's family and coworkers now await a verdict more than two years after his death.
