The Murder Tapes is examining the murder of Curtis Israel Gray, who was gunned down by a fellow teenager, Marion Gavins Jr, outside a smoke shop in Palm Coast, Florida.
On April 13, 2019, 17-year-old Gavins was sitting in a friend’s SUV when he shot 18-year-old Gray in the abdomen as the victim approached the car. Gray was airlifted to a nearby hospital, but sadly, he succumbed to the wound.
Gray had been a popular high school student with a bright future ahead. The budding athlete had played high school football and was currently on the track team.
However, on the night he died, Gray decided to confront his would-be-killer after Gavins had posted disrespectful comments on social media. Gray was approaching an SUV, which contained Gavins as a passenger, when he was shot.
After shooting Gray, Gavins pointed his gun at the SUV driver, insisting they flee the scene.
Gavins had been busy amassing a lengthy criminal record; despite his young age, he already had charges for the sale of marijuana and domestic violence against his mother. He had been expelled from high school in 2015 for bringing a knife to school.
Marion Gavins Jr. pleaded guilty to killing Curtis Israel Gray
Gavins avoided a life-long sentence by pleading guilty to murdering Gray and was sentenced to 40 years. He subsequently had five years added to his sentence after assaulting a correctional officer.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelThe killer was a juvenile at the time of the shooting, which means his sentence will be up for review after 25 years. The murder occurred shortly before he turned 18, but he was tried as an adult.
Gray’s mother, Carmen Gray, said that Gavins apologized to her. She said, “[Gavins] said that he’s still alive and he can talk to his mother. And he can’t imagine what it would be like for a mother to have to bury her child, so he did apologize, and he said you may not ever forgive me, but I hope that you will one day.”
More from The Murder Tapes
Follow the links to read about more vicious crimes profiled on The Murder Tapes.
In Hot Springs, AR, Laquan Paskel and Morgan Tollefson lured Keon Lashawn Jackson to a location to rob him, and when he arrived, Paskel shot him dead.
William Moon began arguing with Steven McQuay over a lost meth pipe, and at one point, he snapped and began beating McQuay until he lost consciousness. McQuay’s body was then left abandoned in Moon’s pickup truck on a street in Jonesboro, AR.
The Murder Tapes airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on Investigation Discovery.