A Memphis teenager indicted in the killing of Patrick Houston Jr., the 21-year-old son of Memphis rap pioneer Project Pat, is now awaiting trial alongside a second co-defendant, with proceedings set to begin later this month. Jermiesia Franklin, who was 16 at the time of the January 2025 shooting and is now 18, faces two counts of first-degree murder, aggravated robbery, and tampering with or fabricating evidence.
According to the indictment, Franklin is accused of intentionally and with premeditation killing Houston Jr., taking his phone by violence, and tampering with evidence, as reported by ABC24. Memphis Police Department officers responded to a shooting call in the area of Ketchum Road and Long Street on January 10, 2025, where they found a man who had been shot to death. Police later identified the victim as Houston Jr., whose father, Patrick Earl Houston, is known worldwide by his stage name Project Pat and is remembered for tracks like 2001's “Chickenhead” and Three 6 Mafia's 2000 hit “Sippin' on Some Syrup,” according to Wikipedia. He is also the older brother of Three 6 Mafia co-founder Juicy J.
Two Defendants, Two Very Different Charges
Investigators believe Houston Jr. was killed around 1:15 p.m. near Charjean Park during what they describe as a targeted robbery, with digital evidence showing communication between Franklin and her ex-girlfriend, Talia Jones, both before and after the shooting, according to iHeart. Authorities believe Franklin fired the fatal shots during the robbery plot. Jones, now 19, was also indicted in the case but on different charges, facing aggravated robbery and tampering with or fabricating evidence rather than a murder count.
Investigators believed Jones and Houston Jr. knew each other before the shooting, per a report by HOT 97. That distinction in the charges reflects the different roles each defendant is accused of playing: Franklin as the alleged shooter, while Jones faces aggravated robbery and tampering with or fabricating evidence charges. Jones' path to facing justice was anything but straightforward. Agents with the U.S. Marshals Service apprehended her in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on July 15, 2025, six months after the killing, after she was charged with facilitation of first-degree murder. The Marshals Service reported that she actively resisted and fought task force officers during her arrest, having been tracked down by the USMS Two Rivers and North Star Fugitive Task Forces.
Prior Brush With the Law Near the Crime Scene
Court records reported by Okayplayer show Jones had a previous arrest in Memphis in October 2024, months before the killing, for theft and aggravated assault involving a knife during a domestic dispute at her Ketchum Road apartment — near where Houston Jr. would later be killed. That earlier domestic assault charge was reportedly dismissed for lack of prosecution. Separately, Franklin faces attempted second-degree murder and employment of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony in an apparently unrelated 2024 case, according to court records; ABC24 reported it reached out for more information about those charges.
Franklin's case is proceeding in adult criminal court.
Trial Dates Set for Later This Month
Franklin and Jones had their report date reset to September 16, and Jones is scheduled to stand trial on September 21. That timeline follows an earlier report date of today, September 10, according to court records cited by ABC24. Jones was arrested on charges tied to the case, while Franklin, according to court records, is held on a $5 million bond.
Following the shooting, funeral services for Houston Jr. were held on January 25, 2025, at M.J. Edwards Funeral Home in Memphis, according to HOT 97. Houston Jr. was identified as Project Pat's son.
A Broader Shift in Memphis Crime Trends
The case unfolded amid broader attention to crime in Memphis.
Hoodline previously reported on a separate May 17, 2026 shooting on Ketchum Place near Imogene Heights in coverage of gunfire near Imogene Heights, noting that the 2025 killing drew national attention to the area because of Houston Jr.'s father's stature in Memphis hip-hop history. Jones is scheduled to stand trial on September 21.
