A haunting final text message sent by an Alabama mother moments before her murder has become the crucial evidence needed to solve her killing. Arkia “Kia” Berry, 28, texted just one word—”Jaco”—to a friend in her dying breaths before she, her 5-year-old son, and her boyfriend were fatally shot in their car last summer.
That single word led investigators directly to her alleged killer: 25-year-old Jacorrian McGregor, whose nickname is “Jaco.” He now faces capital murder charges in the shocking triple homicide. Birmingham homicide Detective Jarvelius Tolliver testified in court Thursday that Berry’s final message essentially identified her killer from beyond the grave.
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“She texted his name right before she died,” Tolliver told the judge, according to AL.com. The horrific crime occurred on July 13, 2024, when police initially responded to what was reported as a car accident in Birmingham’s Echo Highlands neighborhood. However, officers quickly discovered a gruesome triple homicide scene.
Berry, her young son Landyn Brooks, and her boyfriend Eric Ashley Jr., 28, had all been shot to death. Investigators recovered between 20 and 30 shell casings around the bullet-riddled vehicle. Berry was found slumped across the front wheel, her boyfriend in the passenger seat, and Landyn in the back, directly behind his mother.
Further evidence emerged from the suspect’s phone. According to court testimony, McGregor’s friends sent him messages after the shooting, urging him to “lay low, stay out of sight, stay hidden.” Surveillance footage also captured a stolen green Kia near Berry’s vehicle around the time of the shooting. The car was later found burned in what appeared to be an attempt to destroy evidence.
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McGregor was not arrested until February 24, 2025, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force. He remains in Jefferson County Jail without bond. A judge ruled Thursday that there was sufficient evidence for the case to proceed. The exact relationship between Berry and McGregor, as well as the motive for the attack, remains unclear.
Family members remembered Berry as a devoted mother and hairstylist whose son was the center of her world. Landyn, who played football, was just weeks away from starting kindergarten before his life was tragically cut short.
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