Zariah Dodd case: What's next for the suspects accused of murdering the pregnant teen?

Death penalty possible for man accused of killing pregnant teen, unborn child

Jurrell Davis and Jechri James-Gillett are each facing two counts of first-degree murder. Criminal defense attorney Benjamin Taylor breaks down what's next for the suspects in the search for justice for Zariah Dodd.

PHOENIX - Two men are in custody, accused of conspiring to murder 16-year-old Zariah Dodd, who was nearly six months pregnant when she died. The unborn baby's father is one of the men arrested.

Jurrell Davis, 36, and Jechri James-Gillett, 18, are each facing two counts of first-degree murder. They appeared in court late Friday night.

Dodd was found murdered in Marivue Park on the morning of July 5. Her kinship caregiver, Richilyn Fox, expressed the family’s grief.

"It's sick that you will take another child's life because you don't want the truth to come out," she said.

With the arrests of Davis and James-Gillett, loved ones say Dodd is finally getting justice.

The backstory:

Davis, who Phoenix police identified as the father of Dodd’s unborn daughter, is facing two counts of first-degree murder. Criminal defense attorney Benjamin Taylor said the death of an unborn child often leads to a harsher penalty.

"With an unborn child, they could either charge the defendant with killing the baby that's unborn and the mother," Taylor said. "So basically, each count could be one count for the mother and one count for the unborn child."

Zariah Finley Dodd

Davis is also accused of sexual misconduct with a minor in this case. In 2008, he pleaded guilty to impregnating a 14-year-old when he was 19 and received probation. Taylor says Davis’s record is a factor against him.

"When a person has prior convictions on their record, the prosecutor usually aggravates their sentence or even asks for the maximum amount," Taylor explained. "And here, the maximum amount is life in prison or even death."

James-Gillett faces two counts of premeditated first-degree murder for Dodd’s death.

What they're saying:

Taylor said the involvement of two suspects suggests a more deliberate plan in the eyes of prosecutors.

"First-degree murder means that something is premeditated, means it's thought out, that there was a plan involved," Taylor said. "It wasn't just some last-minute thing. The defendants allegedly planned this out to kill the victim here."

Considering all these factors, Taylor said the death penalty is a possibility. "Because you have a minor, a pregnant minor, this is a very egregious act that was caused here," he said. "And so, ultimately, the prosecution can even go death penalty in the future if they decide to."

Davis and James-Gillett are being held on a $1 million cash bond.

What's next:

Zariah was living at Sunshine Residential, a group home in Surprise, at the time of her death. Many have raised questions about how she could have become pregnant by a 36-year-old man while living there and why the home allowed her to go out alone after dark the night she was killed. Taylor said the home could potentially face legal action.

"The group home here, if they are found negligent, they can be found negligent for child abuse charges," Taylor said. "If there's any information or evidence to see that the group home was here liable for the murders of these people...the system is broken here, a lot of times it is overwhelmed with minors. A lot of times there's not enough resources out there, and sometimes minors, unfortunately, die in the hands of the group homes."

The other side:

When reached for comment, Sunshine Residential provided a statement that reads:

"The victim was pregnant prior to being welcomed at Sunshine’s Teen Mom Program due to Sunshine being one of only two licensed providers in the State of Arizona serving the parenting teen population. Sunshine’s Teen Mom Program is a non-restrictive placement designed to support pregnant and parenting teens in developing the skills needed for independent living. The program’s primary goal is to guide young mothers toward becoming wholesome, self-sufficient citizens through trauma-informed, strength-based care. The victim was a loved member of the Sunshine family, and we will not rest until justice is served to those who committed these heinous crimes."