Koko Da Doll: Charges against Jemarcus Jernigen explored as 17-year-old turns himself in for Atlanta murder

A recent arrest was made in the April 18, 2023, killing of Koko Da Doll. Police have arrested Jemarcus Jernigen, 17, after the teen turned himself in on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. All of this happened after police issued warrants against him.

The teenager now faces multiple charges in the case, which include murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm. The teen, by turning himself in, has accepted the charges against himself after he shot Koko Da Doll at around 10:40 am. The incident occurred in Atlanta at a shopping plaza near Martin Luther King Drive SW and Hamilton E. Holmes Drive.

After the arrest, the police released a statement that stated that Jemarcus Jernigan turned himself in at the Zone 1 Precinct. The authorities also informed that the accused had been transported to the Fulton County Jail.

Koko Da Doll, whose real name is Rasheeda Williams, was featured in the documentary Kokomo City. At the moment, the police have not yet revealed Jernigen's motive for the killing. However, Koko Da Doll’s film’s director posted on social media that she was the “latest victim against Black transgender women.”

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After the murder of Koko Da Doll, police is currently investigating if Jemarcus Jernigen was involved in the killing of other trans women

As Jemarcus Jernigan confessed that he was the one to shoot Koko Da Doll, the police, after his arrest, is now investigating if he was involved in the killing of the three other transgender women who were brutally killed in the city this year. The police said:

“In these cases, our investigators have not found any indication the victim was targeted for being transgender or a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and these cases do not appear to be random acts of violence."

At the same time, the police have not yet confirmed if Rasheeda Williams, another victim, was targeted for being a trans. However, she was in the limelight after she was featured in Kokomo City, a documentary that tells the tale of four black trans s*x workers and gives insights into their life, struggles and more.

The police are also requesting help from civilians. In the statement released by the authorities, they stated that they welcome any tips or information regarding the hate crimes against transgender people. The police also claimed that people giving information regarding the same would be eligible to receive a reward of up to $2,000.

At the time of Rasheeda’s killing, the police reported that they could find “apparent gunshot wounds” on her body. However, she was neither alert nor breathing.