With a handful of national civil rights attorneys at their side, the parents of Javion Magee gathered Wednesday afternoon outside the Vance County courthouse to discuss the investigation into their son’s death. The body of the 21-year-old truck driver from outside Chicago, IL was found on Vanco Mill Road Wednesday, Sept. 11.
Preliminary results from the medical examiner are in, but attorneys have said his parents will seek an independent autopsy, it was learned during the Wednesday press conference.
Attorneys Harry Daniels and Lee Merritt were quick to point out that the investigation is ongoing, but also said any preliminary report that Magee took his own life is premature.
“It’s an absolute tragedy,” Daniels said, adding that the young man was working to be financially independent.
Daniels said Magee’s parents, Tiara Roberson Gates and Kori Magee, had spent several hours earlier Wednesday reviewing evidence with representatives of the Vance County Sheriff’s Office.
Both parents spoke briefly at the end of the press conference. Magee’s mother asked those gathered to keep the family in their prayers. Kori Magee, who said he’d last spoken to his son a couple of days before his body was discovered, said he appreciated the support the family had received, adding that it had buoyed their spirits over the last week.
“We are here for one reason and one reason only: To get justice for Javion and the Magee family,” Daniels said, reiterating that the manner and cause of death has not been determined and suicide is “grossly premature.”
Attorney Lee Merritt said, “I don’t know too many 21-year-old, gainfully employed, happy individuals that travel into North Carolina, buy a rope and kill themselves. That would be an oddity. It’s a possibility, but we would need more evidence before we jump to that conclusion.”
Video evidence confirms that Magee bought rope at the Henderson Walmart; additional video footage shows Magee entering a wooded area on Vanco Mill Road later. Report of a possible deceased person came in to 911 about 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 11.
Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame released a timeline of events Wednesday that provides additional details of Magee’s movements, as well as evidence recovered upon executing a search warrant of the truck Magee was driving and his phone records.
Jason Keith, a Greensboro attorney, spoke to those gathered at the press conference and said the family deserves answers and to hear a thorough explanation of every detail of the investigation.
“The community needs answers and we’re here to apply pressure,” Keith said. “We’re not leaving until we get them. We’ll stay as long as it takes.”
Merritt said the preliminary medical examiner’s report determined that Magee suffered bruising along his neck and had a broken neck bone. Additional information in the sheriff’s timeline reported that there were no defensive wounds, neither were there signs of physical or sexual assault. Results from a toxicology screen are pending.
Many questions remain to be answered, and the family’s attorneys said the main focus is to find out what happened to Javion Magee.
As family members, “you want to know what happened,” Daniels said. “That’s a start of healing.”
Read Sheriff Brame’s press release in its entirety in a separate post here on wizs.com. Below is the timeline of events included in that press release:
September 10, 2024, approximately 01:00 hours- Mr. Magee left Hazelton, Pennsylvania after picking up a load of goods to deliver to the Walmart Distribution Center in Henderson, North Carolina. Mr. Magee traveled I-81 South to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, then to Highway 15 towards Frederick, Maryland. The truck gets onto I-270 South and drives to I-495 to I-95 towards Virginia.
September 10, 2024, 06:50 hours- The truck makes a stop at a truck stop on Highway 207, 12 miles North of Ashland, Virginia for approximately one hour. Investigators are working to obtain video from the truck stop to review.
September 10, 2024, 07:50 hours- The commercial truck leaves the truck stop and travels on Highway 1 South.
September 10, 2024, 08:00 hours, the vehicle travels on I-95 South, merges onto I-64 in Richmond, Virginia.
September 10, 2024, 08:20 hours, truck merges back onto I-95 South.
September 10, 2024, 08:50 hours, the truck continues onto I-85 South in Petersburg, Virginia, traveling south into North Carolina.
September 10, 2024, 09:54 hours, vehicle is on I-85 south.
September 10, 2024, 10:04 hours, vehicle enters Vance County and travels to Chex Truck Stop in Middleburg, North Carolina. Surveillance video shows Magee walking into the truck stop alone, using the rest room and getting food from the truck stop grill. Magee is seen walking back to his truck and getting in his truck alone.
September 10, 2024, 12:21 hours- vehicle leaves Chex Truck Stop traveling south on I-85 into Henderson, North Carolina.
September 10, 2024, 12:37 hours- truck arrives at the Walmart Distribution Center in Henderson and the contents are unloaded.
September 10, 2024, 16:53 hours, the truck leaves the Walmart Distribution Center. Within 5 minutes, GPS shows the truck is idling in a dirt parking area in front of 285 Vanco Mill Road, Henderson, North Carolina. Approximately ½ mile from the Walmart Distribution Center.
September 10, 2024- 17:44 hours, the truck travels Northwest on West Andrews Avenue. At 17:49 hours, the truck pulls onto Young Street and is idling. The truck then goes to a parking lot at the corner of West Andrews Ave and Vance Street at 17:53 hours. Magee exits the truck and walks to a local smoke shop at 422 East Andrews Avenue to purchase tobacco products. Surveillance footage shows Magee making a purchase at the store, he is alone. The truck leaves the area at 18:01 hours. The truck travels west on Andrews Ave to the intersection of I-85 and merges onto I-85 south.
September 10, 2024, 18:11 hours, the truck travels to the Walmart Supercenter located on N. Cooper Drive in Henderson, North Carolina. Mr. Magee is seen on surveillance footage from at least 5 cameras walking into the store, making a purchase of a blue in color Ozark Trail rope, and exiting the store. Magee is alone according to video footage while he shopped inside the store and when he returned to his truck outside the store. Magee is seen wearing a white t shirt, black shorts, white socks, and dark colored crocs. Magee uses a self-checkout to make the purchase, obtains a receipt for the purchase and is seen leaving the store with the blue rope in his hand. Magee returns to his truck and leaves the parking lot of the Walmart Supercenter at 18:22 hours.
Further review of surveillance footage from Walmart also shows as Magee was leaving the Walmart Parking Lot on September 10th, he stops, exits his truck, and gives something to a homeless person sitting at the entrance. The person was identified and interviewed by investigators. As a result of the interview, it was learned that Magee gave the homeless person money. Magee told the person that “I don’t know how much it is, but if I had more I would give it to you.” It was a total of $228 that was given to the homeless person. The witness confirmed that after Magee gave the money, he got back into his truck and left the parking lot.
September 10, 2024, 18:28 hours, Magee pulls into the Hampton Inn Hotel located on Ruin Creek Road and parks around the back of the building. Surveillance footage from the hotel shows Magee walking from the back of the hotel to the front wearing a white t-shirt, black shorts, white socks, and dark colored crocs. Magee is also wearing a black backpack Magee enters the hotel alone at 18:32 hours and walks up to the front desk. Magee speaks to the hotel clerk and exits the hotel at 18:34 hours and walks towards the back of the hotel.
September 10, 2024, 18:35 hours, the truck is turned on, and at 18:36 hours, Magee’s truck is seen on video surveillance leaving the hotel parking lot and making a right turn onto Ruin Creek Road.
September 10, 2024- 18:45 hours, the truck approaches the intersection of Andrews Ave and US1 Highway, and at 18:50 hours, the truck exits US1 Highway onto Vanco Mill Road.
September 10, 2024, 18:52 hours, the truck pulls back onto the dirt lot at 285 Vanco Mill Road and the ignition is turned off. Surveillance footage from the area shows Magee exiting the driver’s side of the truck wearing a white shirt and black shorts. Magee is seen walking away from the truck alone towards the wood line on the eastern side of the dirt lot. Magee is carrying an object in his hand. Magee walks back up around a trailer and to the front gate of T&R Tractor & Truck Repair, then walks back to the wood line of the lot.
September 10, 2024, 19:00 hours, Surveillance video shows Magee re-enter the truck and the GPS shows the truck ignition is turned on. From the video, it does not appear Mr. Magee has anything in his hand at the time he re-enters the truck.
September 10, 2024, 19:28 hours, the truck is still in an idling state.
September 10, 2024, 19:30 hours, the ignition is turned off and is never started again. Magee is seen on video walking away from the truck towards the trees alone. The video does not show Magee walking back to the truck after this time.
September 11, 2024, 10:08 hours, Vance County 911 received a call from the owner of T&R Truck Repair of a man with a rope around his neck on the outside of the fence at 285 Vanco Mill Road. The 911 stated that the male was not breathing and appeared to have died by suicide.