For many, tax season comes with a much-needed windfall of cash. But for one Pennsylvania woman, her refund may have led to her death.
According to police, Keiauna Davis, 27, was planning a birthday party for her 3-year-old daughter when she was fatally shot in a robbery attempt by a group aiming to steal her tax refund.
Dane James Taylor and Laya Alana Whitley, both 21, and Kaijin Xavier Scott, 23, were arrested and have been charged in connection to Davis’ murder.
Whitley worked with Davis at a local store and allegedly knew the mom of two was carrying $3000 in cash. Police say she texted Taylor about the sum and the pair drew up a plan to steal the money.
The group followed Davis while she walked down a street in Wilkinsburg, a town adjacent to Pittsburgh, until Taylor jumped out of the car and chased her. After catching up to Davis, the two scuffled on the ground until he allegedly shot her. Police say Taylor then grabbed the young woman’s purse and returned to the car.
Davis’ mother, Sheila Detwiler, said the suspects stole more than her daughter’s money.
“It wasn’t just $3,000 you took,” she said, addressing her daughter’s alleged killers. “You took so much more from so many people.”
Detwiler, who was visiting from North Carolina when her daughter was killed, said she will raise her two granddaughters, 3-year-old Aliviyah and 6-year-old Azaylah. She remembered Davis as being a “fun mom” who loved her children dearly. Detwiler also promised to keep her daughter’s memory alive.
“We’ll keep their mother alive with them through pictures, through stories, through memories,” Detwiler said. “They’ll know exactly who their mother was. She loved them. She had plans for them.”