What happened to Michael Anthony Cole? Two Alabama teens arrested in murder of missing Montgomery high school student

Michael Anthony Cole Jr., aged 16, was declared dead at 10:51 pm on Monday, January 29, 2024. He was located along the Selma Highway in Montgomery. The Montgomery Police swiftly arrested Nedvin Jones and Nicholas Sheppard, both 18, charging them with the murder of the high school student.

Cole went missing on Thursday, January 25, 2024, and was found with a fatal gunshot wound on Monday night in the 6500 block of Selma Highway. City council members offered a reward of $5,000 in an effort to locate him, as reported by ABC News. An emergency missing alert was also issued by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, as per WSFA.

The investigation is ongoing and authorities are working to find out the motive behind the murder.

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Michael Anthony Cole's perpetrators to be charged with felony murder

Recent court filings have revealed the events surrounding the death of 16-year-old Michael Anthony Cole Jr., as reported by WSFA. On January 25, 2024, at approximately 8:43 pm, a Montgomery police patrol unit responded to a shooting in the 3500 block of Gaston Avenue.

The responding officer gathered evidence and noted bullet damage to the residence. Michael Anthony Cole was reported missing by his family on the same day, January 25, 2024.

The case was initially classified as a runaway and later, as a missing person. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency issued an Emergency Missing Child Alert on Monday. The alert was then canceled on Tuesday, January 30, 2024.

The officers then tied Cole's death to a shooting around 8:50 pm on Thursday in the 3500 block of Gaston Avenue. Although a crime scene was found, the victim remained unknown at that time, as reported by the Montgomery Advertiser.

Investigators diligently pursued leads that eventually led them to the discovery of Cole's lifeless body. The court filings revealed that the evidence supported a charge of felony murder. In Alabama, a felony murder charge involves a person or persons committing or attempting to commit a felony crime that results in the death of another.

According to court documents, both Nedvin Jones and Nicholas Sheppard have been assigned attorneys. Judge Tiffany McCord will oversee Jones' case, though no judge has been assigned to Sheppard's case yet as reported by the Montgomery Advertiser.

Montgomery Police Chief Darryl Albert acknowledged that all indications point to the fact that the suspects and the victim were acquainted. While he confirmed that Michael Anthony Cole knew Jones and Sheppard, he did not elaborate on the nature of their relationship.

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Montgomery Police Chief calls for end to gun violence after arrests in Michael Anthony Cole Jr.'s murder

According to the Montgomery Advertiser, during a press conference addressing the death of 16-year-old Michael Anthony Cole Jr., Chief Darryl Albert said:

"I'll start by saying quite simply gun violence in Montgomery must stop."

Chief Albert defended the Montgomery Police Department from public criticism. He said that from the very first phone call about Cole, officers were actively engaged in the investigation, as reported by AL.com. He stated:

"At no time were we sitting on our hands doing nothing. We never did stop."

John Hall, the Chief of Investigations for MPD, revealed the extensive efforts made by the department in collaboration with Montgomery Fire & Rescue. The search for Cole included a boat deployed to the Catoma River and a helicopter coordinated with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Officers conducted searches on foot and utilized drones to cover the ground efficiently.

As reported by AL.com, it was revealed that the suspects, Nedvin Maynard Jones Jr., 18, and Nicholas Treyvon King-Sheppard, 18, are being charged with felony murder. Both Jones and Sheppard are currently held without bail at the Montgomery County Detention Facility, as reported by WSFA. As of now, a motive for the crime has not been determined.

Police officials confirmed that the investigation is ongoing.