The Murder of Curtis Gray
For this case, I watched an episode of The Murder Tapes. It’s season 7 episode 6, titled ‘The Smoke Shop.’
An athletic teenager is shot in the parking lot of a Florida smoke shop.
Background
Curtis Israel Gray was born on December 11, 2000, and lived in Flagler County, Florida with his family.
Curtis was the son of a minister, and was brought up in the church. Curtis was very athletic, and loved football and track and field. Curtis’ mother, Carmen, also described him as charismatic, and a natural born leader.
Curtis was just 6 weeks shy of his high school graduation.
Curtis Gray
The 911 Call
On April 13, 2019, a 911 call came in around 12:34am. The caller said his friend had just been shot in the parking lot of a smoke shop near Belle Terre Parkway in Palm Coast.
The dispatcher can be heard asking the caller to apply pressure to the wound. There was another man who had come outside to help. He can be heard telling the dispatcher that he came out to help apply pressure. He also says “stay with me.”
When the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office arrived, Curtis was still alive, but in critical condition. He tells the police that his stomach hurts, and that he doesn't want to die. He was airlifted to a Halifax Hospital in Daytona Beach, where he passed away.
The police were able to talk to several witnesses at the scene. The witnesses said that Curtis had walked up to a large green SUV, and seemed to know the occupants of the car. The driver was described as a white female, and the passenger and shooter as a Hispanic or light-skinned male. The witnesses told the police that the car had taken off towards the P section.
A .9mm shell casing was also found at the scene, but no murder weapon.
The 24 Hour Surveillance
The police spoke to the manager of the smoke shop about the outside surveillance cameras. The manager was confused about whether or not he’d be able to hand it over, so the police had to wait.
There was a nearby insurance company next door, but sadly, one camera wasn’t working, and the other didn’t capture any of the shooting.
After the police learned that Curtis had passed away, they did receive a tip about a possible sighting of the green SUV. The SUV had driven to a home on Woodfair Lane, which was just a few miles from the smoke shop.
Sergeant Joe Barile of the Flagler Co. Sheriff’s Office requested a 24 hour surveillance on the house. A male left the house with his dog, and got into a gold Saturn. The police followed the car, and did a routine traffic stop. The driver of the vehicle was a white male, and didn’t match the description of the shooter, and was released.
He was told by the police not return to the house on Woodfair Lane, but he didn’t listen. He walked outside of the house with a bag. Again, the man was released after the police didn’t find anything suspicious.
The police continued to watch the house, and saw another male open the garage. The garage was only partially opened, but the police did see a car inside. The police went to the district attorney to request a search warrant for the house.
The Prime Suspect
A SWAT team entered the house. Inside the house, the police found a Mossberg shotgun, ammunition, a gun holder for a pistol, and an ID belonging to Marion Leo Gavins Jr. Marion was a light-skinned male, and matched the description of the shooter.
Marion was a renter of the house on Woodfair Lane. The actual murder weapon wasn't found in the house, but the SUV, a green Yukon was.
The police tried to find out as much information about Marion as they could. On his social media, Marion posted several videos of him holding guns, including the shotgun and a small Glock. Marion also held up gang signs in several videos.
In the shotgun video, a female was seen in the video with him. She matched the description of the female driver that witnesses had seen.
The police also found a video of Marion making fun of the death of one of Curtis’ friends. Curtis had lost a friend named Davonte ‘Squizzo’ Harris. It seemed like this could’ve been the motive as to why Curtis was killed. The witnesses at the scene said it seemed like Curtis knew the occupants of the vehicle.
Tracking a Killer
The female driver, who was only referred to as Alex in the episode, contacted the police. She told them that she and Marion had run into Curtis at the smoke shop. She said she walked straight to the car, and didn’t say anything to Curtis or his friends.
She said she and Marion got into the SUV, but Curtis approached them. She said Curtis put his hand in his pocket first, and Marion grabbed his gun, and fired. She said Marion demanded that she drive to the Woodfair Lane house. She minimized her role, and said she didn’t have any control over what Marion did.
Another female friend of Marion’s told the police that she asked Marion why the police were swarming his house. Marion told her that he wasn't going to admit to what he did, but was going to flee the state and country.
It turns out that Marion didn’t leave the state. Marion’s mom contacted Sgt. Barile, and said she was going to bring her son into the station. Marion’s mom was clearly devastated. Sgt. Barile said he spent a lot of time calming her down, and they agreed to meet at their district office.
The police waited quite awhile before Marion and his mother pulled up in their car. Marion was arrested and taken into custody. His mother had to be in the room with him, as Marion was just 17, and a month shy of his 18th birthday. Marion was read his rights, and he asked for a lawyer.
On the way to turn himself in, Marion had posted a video to Snapchat. He also said that Curtis had reached in his pocket first before he had fired his gun.
The Smoke Shop Surveillance
After Marion was taken into custody, the smoke shop manager was able to give the police the footage from that night.
On April 13, 2019, Marion and Alex were inside the smoke shop, when Curtis entered. Curtis didn’t notice them, but Marion can be seen turning to look at him. Curtis finally noticed them once he zipped up his sweatshirt. After seeing them, he exited, and went near his friends off camera.
Alex and Marion exited shortly after. Curtis can be seen walking back to the entrance of the smoke shop. He didn’t walk in, but walked in the direction of the SUV. The police said it seemed like something caught his attention. Curtis walked to the SUV off camera, and was shot.
Rick Staly, the Flagler Co. sheriff, requested that Marion be charged as an adult. It was granted, and Marion Gavins was convicted and sentenced to 40 years in prison. He was given an additional 5 years for attacking and hospitalizing a deputy sheriff while in custody.
Marion Gavins mugshot, and a still from the video he posted to Snapchat.
Alex cooperated, and was never charged.
The police determined that Curtis never had a weapon on him that night.
Other
Curtis’ family has created the LLC Rise Above the Violence Mission. Their mission is to “impact the social and emotional wellness of youth.” They have workshops, seminars, camps and community resources for anyone who has been affected by violence. The link to the website is listed in the sources for this post.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Both Marion and “Alex” seemed to minimize their roles in such an awful crime. Curtis didn’t have a weapon on him, and was shot for no reason. He was probably upset that Marion had been making fun and making derogatory comments about his friend. Who wouldn’t be upset by that? Curtis was not the aggressor that night. Marion was, and will now spend the rest of his life in prison. Curtis was so close to graduating, which his mom said he had been counting down the days to. She was able to receive his diploma at the ceremony.
Sources
https://flaglerlive.com/135516/w-section/
https://thecinemaholic.com/curtis-gray-murder-where-is-marion-gavins-now/
https://scottishumanrights.com/curtis-gray-murder-wheres-marion-gavins-now/
