Jeremy Reynolds, a 31-year-old man, faces first-degree murder charges in connection with the death of 25-year-old Juquan “Cocoa” Hamilton. Reynolds, was allegedly in a romantic relationship with Cocoa, and became violently upset when she reportedly wanted to end the relationship.
The fatal shooting
On Sunday, November 10, 2024, at around 9:15 p.m., officers from the Greensboro Police Department, along with firefighters and EMS, were dispatched to the 400 block of Guilford College Road. They responded to reports of shots fired and found Cocoa inside a 2014 Honda Accord, deceased from multiple gunshot wounds.
According to arrest warrants obtained by The North Carolina Beat, Cocoa was inside the car when she was shot with a semi-automatic weapon. Reynolds has since been charged with first-degree murder and discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling or vehicle.
In a Facebook post, a user named “BigBabi Owens” expressed outrage, stating, “YOU KILLED MY BABY GIRL IN COLD BLOOD CAUSE SHE DIDN’T WANNA BE WITH YOU ANYMORE…”
Reynolds appeared in court for the first time on Wednesday, where he was denied bond. He remains detained at the Greensboro Detention Center.
Friends of Hamilton shared that she and her boyfriend, Reynolds, ended their relationship four months prior, but he continued to contact her and attempt to see her. The couple had been together for two years before Hamilton decided to break up with him.
Family members disclosed that Hamilton was shot through the driver’s side window of her car. Despite being wounded, she managed to drive a short distance before crashing. Police found her at the scene shortly afterward.
According to Hamilton’s family, she truly blossomed when she began participating in ballroom competitions with fellow drag queens across the Southeast. Her mother described her as a strong and joyful person who embraced her identity from an early age. Hamilton performed under the drag name “Quanesha Shantel.”
In a phone interview with Greensboro’s News&Record, Hamilton’s mother, Toi Ni’Cole Ratliff, who resides in Fayetteville, recalled a pivotal moment when her daughter was just 11 years old.
“She came to me and said, ‘Mama, I want to transition,'” Ratliff said. “You wouldn’t imagine that a young person would know it at that age, but she did. I told her, ‘I’ll support you through it. But if you do it, do it right.’ And she took it from there!”
Police have not yet released the full details surrounding the murder, but it appears that Reynolds was in love with Cocoa and couldn’t bear to see her walk away from him.
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