Jeremy Reynolds, a 31-year-old man, faces first-degree murder charges in connection with the death of 25-year-old Juquan “Cocoa” Hamilton. Reynolds, was allegedly in a romantic relationship with Cocoa, and became violently upset when she reportedly wanted to end the relationship.
The fatal shooting
On Sunday, November 10, 2024, at around 9:15 p.m., officers from the Greensboro Police Department, along with firefighters and EMS, were dispatched to the 400 block of Guilford College Road. They responded to reports of shots fired and found Cocoa inside a 2014 Honda Accord, deceased from multiple gunshot wounds.
According to arrest warrants obtained by The North Carolina Beat, Cocoa was inside the car when she was shot with a semi-automatic weapon. Reynolds has since been charged with first-degree murder and discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling or vehicle.
In a Facebook post, a user named “BigBabi Owens” expressed outrage, stating, “YOU KILLED MY BABY GIRL IN COLD BLOOD CAUSE SHE DIDN’T WANNA BE WITH YOU ANYMORE…”
Reynolds appeared in court for the first time on Wednesday, where he was denied bond. He remains detained at the Greensboro Detention Center.
Friends of Hamilton shared that she and her boyfriend, Reynolds, ended their relationship four months prior, but he continued to contact her and attempt to see her. The couple had been together for two years before Hamilton decided to break up with him.
Family members disclosed that Hamilton was shot through the driver’s side window of her car. Despite being wounded, she managed to drive a short distance before crashing. Police found her at the scene shortly afterward.
According to Hamilton’s family, she truly blossomed when she began participating in ballroom competitions with fellow drag queens across the Southeast. Her mother described her as a strong and joyful person who embraced her identity from an early age. Hamilton performed under the drag name “Quanesha Shantel.”
In a phone interview with Greensboro’s News&Record, Hamilton’s mother, Toi Ni’Cole Ratliff, who resides in Fayetteville, recalled a pivotal moment when her daughter was just 11 years old.
“She came to me and said, ‘Mama, I want to transition,'” Ratliff said. “You wouldn’t imagine that a young person would know it at that age, but she did. I told her, ‘I’ll support you through it. But if you do it, do it right.’ And she took it from there!”
Police have not yet released the full details surrounding the murder, but it appears that Reynolds was in love with Cocoa and couldn’t bear to see her walk away from him.
13 thoughts on “Greensboro Man Charged in Fatal Shooting of His Transgender Girlfriend, Juquan ‘Cocoa’ Hamilton”
Definitely a DL case here. Quanesha’s “drag father” himself (presumably one of the people closest to her) was quoted as saying, “The boys don’t want to love them out loud.” People aren’t willing to discuss the epidemic of extreme toxic masculinity amongst Black males — the reason why Black transwomen are disproportionately killed. Instead, folks would rather “write papers” about the murders like they’re some great scientific mystery we need 1,000 theses to get to the bottom of.
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Wow these cowards a*s men need to learn how to control their tempers. To unalive a person shows there’s 0 coping mechanisms what so ever and it’s sad because there is only one God and you as a human do not have the right to end someone’s life because of your emotions or insecurities. I pray that all these killings will one day come to an end before Jesus returns smh. Praying for Cocoas family and friends.
Trans need to understand that when you agree to be in an undercover relationship with a DL man…that’s what he intends. Don’t blame the partner that he publicly claims or harass them. Why go to the man’s house? Why threaten to out them? You know what you signed up for. Dangerous games played by both here.
WTH are you talking about? Juquan broke up with Jeremy and he wouldnt leave Juquan alone.
Yep, that’s exactly waht the article said
I’m curious where you got this info. I’ve been doing a deep dive on Cocoa’s case because I am writing a paper on staggeringly disproportionate rates of violence against transgender people. I haven’t seen anything that backs up the vile shit you’re spewing. And even if what you said were true, it absolutely does not justify cutting this young woman’s life short.