Summary

15-year-old Jaylen Reeves was murdered on November 16, 2024 during an altercation with another teenager. After a thorough investigation culminating in a 302-page incident report, Phoenix Police submitted second degree murder charges to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. In April 2025, County Attorney Rachel Mitchell declined charges in Jaylen’s case, citing a claim of self-defense by the Killer. Our family contests this claim and is demanding that Jaylen’s case be heard by a jury.

Jump to Section:

1 — Timeline
2 — Medical Examiners Report
3 — Key Details from Incident Report
4 — Additional Details
5 — FAQ

Timeline

Right-Aligned Vertical Timeline

  1. Jaylen sneaks out of the house.

    He and his new girlfriend get into a vehicle with two of her friends. The vehicle would later turn out to be stolen.

    Source: Phoenix Police Department

  2. Jaylen’s group drives to a lake/park across the street.

    • One male in Jaylen’s group sees someone he knows at the park (the Killer).

    • Between 2:55 and 2:56 a.m., this male and the Killer text and call back and forth in recognition of each other.

    • Jaylen’s group consists of four people.

    • The Killer’s group consists of seven people.

      • Jaylen’s group takes a vape cartridge from the Killer’s group.

    • After a brief conversation, Jaylen’s group takes a vape cartridge from the Killer’s group and leaves in the car.

    • This has been described as “a prank”, “a joke”, and “trolling” by both sides.

      • Jaylen’s group returns a minute later.

      The boys get out of the car.

      A fight ensues.

    • Witness statements are conflicting as to who or what started the fight.

    • Police describe several witnesses as lying or being uncooperative, including Jaylen’s new girlfriend and the male in his group that knew the Killer. This male first claimed “not knowing what happened to Jaylen” and “not knowing [the Killer]”.

    • Jaylen’s girlfriend stays in the car. She gives conflicting statements about what she witnessed both to police and individuals post-incident.

    • The second male in Jaylen’s group (that did not know the Killer) tells police that one of the Killer’s friends didn’t like the joke of taking the vape, that he threw a “fake punch” at Jaylen, and that Jaylen reacted with a real punch. He states that the Killer engaged Jaylen at this point.

    • This friend of the Killer’s claims that Jaylen got out of the car and punched him unprovoked.

    • The Killer is the only witness claiming Jaylen punched him first; witnesses on both sides tell police that the fight started between Jaylen and the Killer’s friend.

      • The fight continues at the park.

    • Witness statements are conflicting as to how the fight unfolded.

    • The majority of the Killer’s friends claim to have run away.

    • The second male in Jaylen’s group tells police that the Killer engaged with Jaylen after Jaylen punched his friend, and that once Jaylen and the Killer were fighting, the Killer “wasn’t letting [Jaylen] go.”

    • The Killer’s friend tells police that he was beaten by Jaylen and the second male in Jaylen’s group, and that they both went on to “attack” the Killer in the same way. (This statement directly contradicts the Killer’s own account of only being engaged by Jaylen).

    • The Killer’s account of the fight is detailed in a Trebus Letter sent by his defense team, part of the publicly available incident report. This letter contains multiple inconsistencies and statements that directly contradict other witness statements, details from the incident report, and the medical examiner’s report.

      • The Killer stabs Jaylen multiple times.

    • The Killer has made multiple conflicting statements about what caused him to fear for his life. According to the Killer’s girlfriend and other people he spoke to post-incident, he claimed that Jaylen tried to drown him; in the Trebus Letter from his defense team, he claims that Jaylen punched him twice and held his hoodie over his head before he stabbed Jaylen. There is no evidence of an attempted drowning in the police report.

    • The Killer admits to only two stabs: one “below [Jaylen’s] left arm near his back” — which does not match any stab wound noted in the medical examiner’s report — and a second in an unspecified area.

    • After the Killer stabs Jaylen two times, the Killer claims to have started “flailing around” and is “unsure if he stabbed Jaylen any additional times.”

    • Jaylen is stabbed and slashed more than four times, including once in the chest and three times in the mid back with shallow stabs to his front abdomen. He has an unexplained black eye.

    • The Killer claims to have thrown the knife in the lake during the fight so that Jaylen wouldn’t “take” it from him, but told multiple people post-incident that he threw the knife in the lake after the stabbing.

    • Police have not been able to locate the knife.

      • Jaylen gets back into the car.

    • He complains of not being able to breathe. His girlfriend discovers he has been stabbed.

  3. The Killer texts the male that he knows in Jaylen’s group.

    • The text reads “WILD SHII G.” It’s unclear if this text was sent before or after the fight.

    • The Killer, the friend that allegedly started the fight, and a second friend that claims to have been hiding behind some bushes leave the park.

  4. The Killer and his two friends arrive at one of the friend’s houses.

    • They arrive at the house of the friend that allegedly started the fight.

    • This friend’s house is located 400 feet from the site of the stabbing.

    • The Killer tells the two friends that he stabbed Jaylen. He is active on Snapchat, sharing photos of himself and telling people that he stabbed someone. He does not call the police.

    • They order food and watch a movie.

  5. Jaylen is driven back to his street.

    Jaylen’s group drops him off three doors down from his house. He is left in the street with his girlfriend, who calls 911.

  6. First responders arrive.

    They interview Jaylen’s girlfriend at the scene.

    Jaylen is transported to Chandler Regional Medical Center.

    He undergoes emergency surgery to repair his heart. He suffers brain death and is pronounced deceased.

  7. The Killer sends a text to the male he knew in Jaylen’s group bragging about Jaylen’s death.

    Less than 30 minutes after the stabbing, the Killer again texts the male he knew in Jaylen’s group.

    • The text reads “YO HB DONE 4”, which is slang for “Your homeboy is done for.”

  8. The Killer calls his mother.

    In this timeframe, she picks him up from his friend’s house.

  9. The Killer’s mother calls her sister and husband six times.

  10. The Killer’s mother calls the police.

  11. Phoenix Police conclude their investigation.

    They submit a charging recommendation of second degree murder to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

  12. County Attorney Rachel Mitchell sends an email to Phoenix Police stating that charges were not being filed.

Medical Examiners Report

  • Stab Wound of Left Chest.

    • Labeled “7” in diagram.

  • Stab Wound of Right Back.

    • Labeled “4” in diagram.

  • Stab Wound of Left Back.

    • Labeled “3” in diagram.

  • Stab Wound of Left Upper Back.

    • Labeled “1” in diagram.

  • Superficial Sharp Force Wounds of Abdomen.

    • Labeled “8” in diagram.

  • Bruised left eye with bleeding under the scalp.

    • Labeled “monocle ecchymosis" in diagram.

  • Numerous shallow cuts, scratches, and abrasions across the back and side of the torso, labeled “2,” “6,” and “5” in diagram. Wounds labeled “5” may represent medical intervention. Labels “9” and “10” denote medical intervention (thoracotomy).

Key Details from Incident Report

The incident report can be requested from the Phoenix Police Department here (Incident Number #20241692718).

  • The Killer told his girlfriend he was scared there may have been video surveillance of the incident. (p. 41)

  • Neither the Killer nor his friends told an adult about what happened until noon that day.

  • The Killer’s friend threw the Killer’s bloodied sweatshirt into a neighbor’s trashcan post-incident. (p. 222)

  • The Killer’s ex-girlfriend told police he showed her videos of people being murdered. (p. 176)

  • The only record in the incident report of the Killer seeking medical attention is on November 19th, three days after the incident. He was assessed by an orthopedic surgeon at OrthoArizona. (p. 217)

  • In addition to 4+ stab wounds, Jaylen had a black eye as noted in the medical examiner’s report. This injury is unexplained.

  • The Killer’s mother has made claims of what happened in direct messages, on social media, and in the news that directly contradict details in the police report, her attorney’s claims, and her son’s own account as detailed in the Trebus letter.

  • The Killer has told several different stories about what occurred during the fight, and what led him to stab Jaylen multiple times. Much of his account of what triggered the fight is directly contradicted by witness statements available in the police report.

Additional Details

  • The Killer told his girlfriend he was scared there may have been video surveillance of the incident. (p. 41)

  • Neither the Killer nor his friends told an adult about what happened until noon that day.

  • The Killer’s friend threw the Killer’s bloodied sweatshirt into a neighbor’s trashcan post-incident. (p. 222)

  • The Killer’s ex-girlfriend told police he showed her videos of people being murdered. (p. 176)

  • The only record in the incident report of the Killer seeking medical attention is on November 19th, three days after the incident. He was assessed by an orthopedic surgeon at OrthoArizona. (p. 217)

  • In addition to 4+ stab wounds, Jaylen had a black eye as noted in the medical examiner’s report. This injury is unexplained.

  • The Killer’s mother has made claims of what happened in direct messages, on social media, and in the news that directly contradict details in the police report, her attorney’s claims, and her son’s own account as detailed in the Trebus letter.

  • The Killer has told several different stories about what occurred during the fight, and what led him to stab Jaylen multiple times. Much of his account of what triggered the fight is directly contradicted by witness statements available in the police report.

FAQ

Disclaimer: This page was compiled from publicly available records, including the redacted police report and the medical examiner’s report, as well as materials obtained by the Reeves family post-incident. Because key information in the official records is redacted, certain details have been interpreted to the best of our understanding and may be incomplete or contain unintentional errors. This page is intended to provide context and clarity, not to assert the identity or actions of any specific individual beyond what the records state.

  • The case is categorized as closed with the Phoenix Police Department, but they continue to accept new information. There is no statute of limitations on homicide, so the case can be reopened at any time.

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