Makeva Jenkins not only wanted to make her dreams come true, but also to help others achieve them.
"Don't give up on your dreams," a Florida businesswoman said in one of her inspirational videos on social media, according to Oxygen'sA deadly relationship with Faith Jenkins. "Remember why you became an entrepreneur or business owner in the first place and make it a great day."
Just when it looked like Makeva's hard work had finally led her to the life she always dreamed of, a pregnant Florida mother of three was shot dead in her home, shot in the head by a masked gunman as she slept.
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Investigators initially thought the intended target might be Makeva's mother, known as Quest, but after combing through clues that emerged in the days following the shocking shooting, they uncovered a chilling conspiracy much closer to home.
Makeva's aunt, Sabrina Yarns, who was raised by the grandmother, said she "was special from day one." The popular teenager was cast as a homecoming teenager who was always surrounded by friends but also had strong ambition.
"She was a hardworking, exemplary student, good grades were mandatory in our house," Yarns said.
After graduating high school, Makeva went to the University of South Florida, but had an unexpected surprise when she found out she was pregnant. Even as a single mother to daughter Ceniya, Makeva was determined to get an education and not only graduated but eventually earned a master's degree.
(left to right) Makeva Jenkins and Euri Jenkins, featured in Killer Relationship With Faith Jenkins 201 Photo: Oxygen
"She was a fantastic mom," her brother, Quay Greer, recalled. "She and Senya were just the best of friends."
As an entrepreneur, Makeva started opening her own small businesses, but still dreamed of getting married and having a family.
That dream became closer to reality on New Year's Eve 2009 when she met 23-year-old hairdresser Euri Jenkins at a church event.
"She had the biggest smile on her face when she talked about it," her friend Kimberly Wilson recalled.
The handsome pastor's son quickly charmed Makeva. While her family urged her to slow down, she announced within months that she was pregnant.
"Makeva wanted a family, so meeting Euri was like a second chance for her," Wilson said.
After welcoming their son, the couple tied the knot in a church ceremony surrounded by friends.
"I ended up walking her down the aisle," Greer said. "She was the happiest I've ever seen her."
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Faith Jenkins Announces Season Two of Killer RelationshipBut a few years after their marriage, the couple went through a difficult situation when Makeva discovered that Euri had impregnated another woman.
"It just broke her heart," Greer said. “He ended up throwing him out.
Despite Makeva's betrayal, she still loved Euri and eventually agreed to take him back. He even helped her develop a new business idea, a company that helped people create business plans called The Prime Enterprise Group.
The business was successful and after years of financial difficulties, the couple began to enjoy a more comfortable life. They also celebrated the birth of a daughter.
"He had a flash and was like, 'Kim, all my blessings have come together,'" Wilson recalled.
On June 23, 2017, Makeva herself reflected on her happiness in a post on social media. "I have been with my husband for seven years and every time I look at him it feels like New Year's Eve 2009 when I saw him at church. I thought he was the most handsome man I had ever met. I didn't tell him anything until 2010 and we've been making history ever since. Love me some Mr. Jenkins,” she wrote.
Just six days later, on June 29, 2017, Makeva would be shot dead.
"Get over here now! My sister is fighting for her life, man!" a distraught Greer screamed in a frantic call to 911. "She's fighting for her life!"
According to Greer, who lived with the family, he was spending time at a makeshift barber shop with Euri and their friend, Dametri Dale, after midnight when a masked gunman forced his way into the garage.
"All you saw was his eyes, he's asking 'where's the money?' "Where's the money?" Greer said.
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Friends of Makeva Jenkins remember learning of her deathThe assailant pushed the trio upstairs, where Makeva and her children were sleeping. Erie told detectives he asked the gunman if Dale could take his children downstairs and inexplicably the gunman agreed.
"I thought it was a little strange that the gunman would let two people upstairs, but he let one person go downstairs with the baby and possibly get away," now-retired Palm Beach County Sgt. noted Sean Oliver.
The thug then forced Greer and Eri to lie face down on the ground.
“Quay wanted to jump on the guy. I was scared,” Euri later told investigators.
While the two men lay on the floor, the gunman entered the dark bedroom where Makeva was sleeping and shot her in the head before leaving the scene in Dale's Charger.
Greer and Euri came running moments later to find Makeva bleeding from the head.
"Euri, she cries holding her head telling Makeva: "I can't do this without you. Don't leave me,' and you know, he's telling her to breathe," Greer said.
Police arrived and took Makeva to the hospital, where she died from her injuries.
"It was just something out of a horror movie, you know," Greer said.
Initially, investigators believed the gunman may have been looking for Makeva's mom, Quest, after all three witnesses testified that the suspect was asking "Where is Quest?"
Greer knew his mother may have recently bought drugs with counterfeit money and thought the crime may have been in retaliation for her actions. He also thought it possible that the bandit mistook the sleeping Makeva for Quest, who was not at the mansion that night.
But detectives could never figure out why an angry drug dealer would go to Makeva's house instead of tracking down Quest at her own apartment in Belle Glade, nearly 45 minutes away.
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Quest also denied giving counterfeit money to drug dealers and said there was no one after her daughter's death.
Authorities began to suspect that Quest may never have been the target and that the gunman intended to kill Makeva all along, especially after investigators discovered no valuables had been taken from the home.
“For some reason, the shooter just runs into the bedroom, fires a round and runs away. It didn't make sense, Oliver said.
After recovering a white Dodge Charger a quarter mile from the crime scene, investigators discovered a Miami Sub receipt in the vehicle from the day of the murder. They watched the restaurant's surveillance video and found Dale with another man, later identified as Joevan Joseph, in the restaurant.
Dale told investigators that he and Joseph had gone to Erie's house earlier that day, but insisted that when he returned home that night, he was alone. However, investigators discovered surveillance video showing a vehicle matching Joseph's following a white Charger that night.
They also learned that Makeva, who was pregnant at the time of her death, had a $500,000 life insurance policy, giving her husband Euri a possible motive. In addition, Euri owed his ex-partner nearly $20,000 in unpaid child support and propositioned her for sex just one day after his wife's death.
Armed with new information, they put pressure on Dale, who eventually admitted that Joseph shot Makeva at Eri's request in exchange for money. Dale also agreed to record a devastating conversation between him and Euri, which helped oust Makeva's husband.
Euri was convicted of first-degree murder in May 2022 and sentenced to life in prison. In exchange for his cooperation, Joseph was sentenced to 15 years in prison for first degree murder. Dale was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 45 days.
For Makeva's family, it will not bring back their beloved mother.
"You know, I cried so much that I can't cry anymore, but wherever I go, [I try to] be strong and be strong for her," Greer said.