Killer of Justin "Juice" Marshall pleads guilty
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A memorial to Juice Marshall in Kowalski's. Photo: Nick Halter/Axios
A 19-year-old man has pleaded guilty to killing Justin "Juice" Marshall last summer, bringing a measure of closure to a case that had begun to feel stalled.
The latest: The Hennepin County Attorney's Office announced Monday that it reached a plea deal with Dijon Jacquez Davis of Las Vegas, who will be sentenced to 261 months for second-degree intentional murder.
Context: Marshall, in the early hours of July 25, was shot six times outside of Mortimer's Bar at Lyndale and Franklin avenues, where he had been celebrating his 37th birthday.
- Davis pulled up in his car near where Marshall was standing and the two exchanged words, according to charges that cited footage from nearby cameras.
- Davis began driving away, but then did a U-turn, got out of the car, chased Marshall down, and, after Marshall fell on the ground, Davis shot him in the back, arm and abdomen, per the charges.
The big picture: "Juice" was a beloved fixture in Southwest Minneapolis, where he worked security for Kowalski's Markets and as a DJ for the F45 fitness center, both on South Lyndale Avenue.
- Those businesses are within a block of Annunciation Church, where two kids were killed in a school shooting a few weeks later.
"Justice for Juice" lawn signs sprang up all over the neighborhood, but his friends and family were disappointed at a lack of progress as the months stretched on.
- Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said Davis became a suspect in the murder during negotiations related to an upcoming trial on different charges.
- Her office said it expects pending cases against Davis to be resolved in a related plea deal after the sentencing for the Marshall murder, which is scheduled for May 7.
"Numerous people were victimized by Mr. Davis during this period in 2025, but none more so than Justin, his family, and the community that loved him and we wanted to ensure they had their own day in court," Moriarty said in a news release.