A man has been charged with capital murder following the death of an Alabama State University (ASU) student.
Rogers McCloud Jr., 20, was arrested on Friday, April 4, and is being held at the Montgomery County Detention Facility without bond, according to local news outlet Al.
An investigation into the death of his girlfriend, Gennia Grimes, 21, began on March 27, when Montgomery County Sherrif’s Office (MCSO) deputies responded to reports of a shooting on U.S. Highway 80 East in the Waugh community of Pike Road, Ala.
Grimes was treated at the scene by first responders before being airlifted to the hospital in critical condition, where she later died, Fox 5 and local news outlet WSFA 12 reported.
Authorities said McCloud Jr. was in the vehicle at the time Grimes was shot, but has given conflicting stories about what happened. “The evidence just wasn’t linking up the way he described it,” Sheriff Derrick Cunningham told Al.
Gennia Grimes.
The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s State Bureau of Investigation are working alongside the sheriff’s investigators, according to the outlet.
“This case involves domestic violence where a young innocent woman was murdered at the hands of her boyfriend,” MCSO Asst. Chief Wesley Richerson told WSFA 12. “To protect the integrity of the case, we have not publicly discussed the details of this investigation. However, please do not confuse our silence with inaction.”
PEOPLE has reached out to the MCSO and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s State Bureau of Investigation for comment.
Grimes was a junior studying criminal justice at ASU after graduated from Mays High School in Atlanta in 2021, per Fox 5. She was also a member of ASU’s Honey Beez dance team.
ASU shared a tribute on Instagram, writing, “We extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends, and all who were touched by her kindness and spirit. Our thoughts and prayers are with her loved ones during this difficult time.”
Gennia Grimes.
gofundme
Grimes welcomed a son, Rogers McCloud III, with McCloud Jr. last year, according to Fox 5.
A GoFundMe page set up in her memory remembered Grimes as a “dedicated mother, a bright student at Alabama State University, set to graduate in August 2025 with dreams of becoming a lawyer.”
“She was also a talented dancer with a passion for making a difference. She was the youngest in her family — their miracle baby — so full of kindness and grace,” the page continued.
“Now, instead of celebrating her future, we are preparing to lay her to rest,” the fundraiser added. “Our family is raising funds to cover funeral expenses and support efforts to bring her 9-month-old baby home so he can say goodbye to his mother.”
