JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville man was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday for the murder of 8-year-old DreShawna Davis, bookending a case that wove its way through Florida’s legal system for over a decade.
Rasheem Dubose, 37, was convicted in 2010 of first-degree murder and shooting deadly missiles in the July 2006 shooting that killed Davis, who was fatally struck by gunfire while inside her family’s home.
Originally sentenced to death, Dubose saw his sentence overturned in 2017 when the Florida Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty could only be imposed when the jury’s decision is unanimous.
“No words I say nor the sentence is going to bring the comfort or peace that you deserve,” the judge told Davis’ loved ones after handing down the sentence. “I pray this gives you the closure and finality that you do deserve.”
Because he was sentenced to life without parole, Dubose will spend the rest of his years behind bars.
The sentence offered a measure of relief to Davis’ family including her mother, Chinneta, and her grandmother, Vonnie Johnson, who were present for Tuesday’s hearing. They spoke of how the girl died shielding her cousins from gunfire.
“DreShawna Davis was a true hero who sacrificed her life,” Chinneta Davis said during her victim impact statement.
Her grandmother, Vonnie Johnson, described the girl as a “bright” and “amazing” child who loved school so much, she made it her No. 1 priority. She said her granddaughter aspired to work in medicine.
“She will always be a hero to me and I am just glad that it’s finally here,” Johnson said afterward. “Thank you, Jesus, it’s finally here.”
Davis was killed July 27, 2006, when her family’s home was hit by a hail of gunfire, a drive-by shooting police described as retaliation against her uncle, who had been involved in a robbery of Dubose.
The 8-year-old’s murder, which marked the fourth child killed unintentionally by gunfire in 17 months, galvanized the Jacksonville community. It spawned public outrage and a crackdown on violent crime.
Dubose and his older brothers, Tajuan and Terrell, were later arrested and charged with her murder.
At trial, Dubose’s siblings were convicted and sentenced to life in prison. After the jury assigned to Dubose’s case deadlocked 11-1, he was retried and convicted of first-degree murder.
Based on a jury’s split recommendation, Dubose was sentenced to death. But because the state’s high court later ruled that the jury’s decision must be unanimous, his sentence was thrown out in 2017.
Chinneta Davis said she forgives Dubose and his brothers for her daughter’s murder, saying how he chooses to live his life is between him and God.
“Today was a day of honor, a day of celebration, a day of everything that God allowed to happen in my life,” she said. “And now it’s time to bring it to positive.”