Half The Story

Too much crime reporting is like this story. It regurgitates a police department's press release, but makes no effort to provide context or understanding for why an incident like this happened, even when it is quite atypical and doesn't fit into the usual mold, when even fairly minimal actual reporting could provide much more insight to readers.

An ambush murder in broad daylight on a public street involving seven perpetrators is rare, and one in which five of the suspects were women is even more rare. A murder in which all of the seven suspects and at least one of the two victims is black, in mostly white first ring suburb of Denver, like Lakewood, is also atypical.

The final suspect in the ambush killing of a pregnant woman was arrested Tuesday evening in Aurora.

Isaac Amir Pierrie, 24, was arrested on suspicion of first degree murder and attempted first degree murder in connection to the 2023 homicide, according to a post on X from the Lakewood Police Department. He had been on the run for more than two years.

Melanie Massay was shot and killed in an ambush around 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 28, 2023, in the 1300 block of Zephyr Street. Her unborn child also died. A man was also shot during the attack but lived.

Pierrie is the last of seven suspects arrested in Massay’s killing. Monte Hayes, ReaAsia Hollins, DaJanah Abrams, Jrayla Taylor, Trinity Walker and Jaliyah Burks all were previously arrested in connection to the shooting.

From the Denver Post. The linked previous story in the current story provided only a little more detail:

“In a lot of cases like this we have to keep the investigations quiet, especially in a situation where we have seven suspects,” said John Romero, spokesperson for Lakewood Police Department. “It was in the best interest of the investigation and the family to hold back on some of the information until now.”

Lakewood officers responded to reports of a gunshot wound victim around 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 28 [2023], Romero said.

When they arrived at the scene, officers found Massay’s body and a second victim who had been shot in the back, Romero said. The second gunshot victim survived.

Police issued arrest warrants for the seven people suspected in Massay’s death in January and have arrested five, according to Romero.

Isaac Pierrie, 23, and Jaliyah Burks, 19, are wanted on suspicion of first-degree murder, attempted murder and assault, according to court records.

Burks is a 5-foot-2-inch, Black woman weighing about 110 pounds with black hair and brown eyes, Romero said. A description was not available for Pierre, but photos released by the police department in Thursday’s crime alert show the 23-year-old is a Black man with black hair and brown eyes.

A Facebook post from the Lakewood police has pictures of the suspects and the victim who was killed, but not her male companion who survived.

 

Almost by definition a group of seven people participating in an ambush murder with guns is some sort of gang activity. But, was the pregnant woman killed the real target, or just unfortunately in the proximity of a man who was the real target.

Were they part of the rival gang? Were the killers seeking retribution for betrayal in a drug deal or snitching? Was this a matter of claimed infidelity? Was she a human trafficking victim?

The arrest warrants were issued in January of 2024, more than ten months after the shooting. Five were arrested within a few weeks (and possibly much sooner), two more took longer. 

How were the seven suspects identified? Did the man who survived identify them? Once one person caught and turned against his or her co-conspirators? Was their surveillance cam video? Was there a police informant in their gang?

If this story is typical, readers of the paper will never know, because the paper won't every follow up on the case with that level of detail. The convictions and sentences might be reported, and perhaps the male victim will be identified eventually, but what was really going on will never be disclosed, even if the narrative was laid out in one or more public trials.

The problem isn't so much that the story is reported before more complete information is available. This is an unavoidable problem with almost every breaking news story in TV news, radio news, newspapers, and online new media. But, in a better world, there would be in depth follow up eventually.

Greater depth and a quest for a deeper understanding is what distinguishes a great media source, like the New York Times, from a merely mediocre one, like the Denver Post, that rarely even tries to get beyond the press releases from law enforcement.

The obituary for the woman killed provides at least a little context:

Melanie Massay

September 10, 2001 — February 28, 2023

Lakewood, CO

Services are private, those who show up uninvited will be ARRESTED.

Melanie Amanda Massay was born to her parents, Chataca Moneque Brown and Wayne Anthony Massay. She was third child born to Chataca and was raised with her 3 siblings. As a child, Melanie LOVED cereal. When she had a delicious serving, her lips would instantly roll. She was a very entertaining young lady who enjoyed hanging out with friends, having fun and making others laugh. One of her fondest memories as achild included beating up her brother and sisters. She was cute but bossy and had expensive taste.

Melanie attended Central High School. Her graduation is March 24th, 2023, in her honor, baby Honesty will receive her graduation certificate with nana Chataca Brown at New Legacy Charter School. She gained employment as a medical assistant at Hope Senior Living where she gained her nursing certificate, furthering her medical career.

In 2021, Melanie was blessed with a beautiful baby girl named, Honesty Lorain Dior Massay. She truly embraced motherhood. They enjoyed many moments together including going to the water park, going to firework shows, and even to Disney on Ice.

Melanie was a spiritual woman who took her relationship with the Holy Spirit seriously. She was guided in her spirituality by her mother who taught her the value of being in tune with the Holy Spirit.

In her free time, Melanie enjoyed hanging out with her bestfriend, Lashay, they supported each other in every way possible. Lashay enjoyed learning about Melanie’s heritage because, both Creole Afro Indian and Guyanese. In addition, Melanie enjoyed going shopping with her mother and baby girl, Honesty.

Chataca, Melanie’s mother reminisces on many wonderful moments that she has had with her daughter. This is a very challenging time for her but she is looking forward to taking care of baby girl, Honesty and giving her all the support that she needs as she grows. Chataca knows that one day, they will meet again.

Melanie passed away on February 28, 2023, those left to cherish her memory include her daughter, Honesty Lorain Dior Massay; her mother, Chataca Moneque Brown; her father, Wayne Anthony Massay; her 3 siblings, cousins and friends.

Honesty was three years old. Melanie apparently knew something was up the day before. Her mother said that: “In her phone, she kept saying, ‘I’m so scared. I feel like I’m going to die,'” Brown said. “The next day, my daughter’s life was taken.” Melanie's mother, Ms. Brown, is about 44 year olds and apparently lives in Aurora, Colorado.

A three minute TV news spot shows the scene and the deceased woman's mother (and disclosed that the deceased woman was pregnant with twins). It also discloses that the deceased woman knew some of the suspects and was a childhood friend of one of them. 

Melanie apparently didn't finish high school at her public high school in Aurora but was enrolled in a charter school devoted to meeting the needs of teen parents to eventually earn it. She apparently had two half siblings through her mother whom she grew up with. Her father probably also lived in Aurora.

19 year old Jaliyah Burks turned herself in on March 7, 2024, more than a year after the shooting, a couple of months after the warrant for her arrest was issued, and almost a year ago. In 2021, Burks was apparently on the women's basketball team at Newman International Academy in Cedar Hill, Texas, where she was a high school senior, and went to prom (although it is conceivable that this is a different person with the same name).

The other five suspects, arrested before she turned herself in, like the woman who was killed, were also young adults in the same general age range of my children and my nephew:

Monte Hayes, 23, ReaAsia Hollins, 20, DaJanah Abrams, 25, Jrayla Taylor, 22, and Trinity Walker, 18

Monte Hayes may have played basketball for an Englewood High School team, as the age and location are about right and the name is a match.

DaJanah Abrams is apparently currently being held in the Broomfield County jail. Someone of the same name who is about the right age was a dietician who lived in Houston, Texas and went to three different colleges in Lousiana.

Hollins was booked on January 25, 2024 at the Jefferson County jail. She was registered as an unaffiliated voter residing at 1705 N. Franklin Street #301, Denver, Colorado 80218 (very close to my old office). I've probably seen in her passing driving home from work.

Jrayla Taylor was booked on January 23, 2024 at the Jefferson County Jail. She was registered to vote as a Democrat at 18948 E. Mercer Drive, Aurora, Colorado 80013. She has a couple of short YouTube videos posted of kids dancing in a bedroom. 

Trinity Walker is a much more common name, making it harder to connect information separate from the crime to her, and may not have been old enough to register to vote at the time of the crime.

A booking photo of Isaac, the last suspect arrested, in Aurora, after two years on the run, shows a tattoo peeping out on his chest, although its meaning is unclear:

Fox News 31 reported that:

Massay’s mother, Chataca Brown, told FOX31’s Alliyah Sims last year that Massay thought the people involved were friends. . . . 

“I fed these children,” Brown said then. “My daughter housed one that was homeless. All the while, they were plotting to ambush my pregnant daughter.”

Shortly after Massay was dropped off at her home, there was gunfire. Her mother said bullets hit the young woman in the back of the head and leg. She tried defending herself.

“Melanie shot that one bullet,” Brown said. “One of the guys actually had two guns and ambushed my daughter. Just shot my daughter to death.” . . .

Lakewood police said the Aurora Police Department, U.S. Marshals, the Department of Corrections, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and Immigration and Customs Enforcement assisted in arresting Pierrie.

Apparently, Melanie was armed and fired back in self-defense at the time of the killing, and apparently the last person arrested was not a U.S. citizen. 

Melanie was apparently either a first or second generation immigrant from the South American country immediately adjacent to Venezuela.

All of the suspects face very serious charges and very long prison terms.

But even with a through search of available information, there are lots of gaps in the story.