Background: News footage from the scene of the July 2024 triple murder in Birmingham, Ala. (WVTM). Inset (left): Jacorrian McGregor (Birmingham Police Department). Inset (right): Arkia “Kia” Berry (Davenport & Harris Funeral Homes).

An Alabama woman who died during a fatal shooting that also took the life of her 5-year-old son texted the name of the man suspected of committing the crime in her final moments.

Arkia “Kia” Berry, 28, was one of three people in a car that was found riddled with bullets on July 13, 2024, along with her 5-year-old son Landyn Brooks and her 28-year-old boyfriend Eric Ashley Jr. According to reporting by local news outlet Al.com, Birmingham homicide Det. Jarvelius Tolliver appeared in court for a preliminary hearing related to the case and presented evidence from the investigation into the triple homicide.

Part of the evidence included text messages sent from the victims’ phones, including a cryptic one sent from Berry that seemed to name the suspect.