The suspect was already in prison when he was charged with murder, prosecutors dropped the murder charge
On December 13, 2023 the murder charge on Joseph Banks, 32, was dismissed by prosecutors with the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, NC right before Christmas. The victim was Demontravis Reid, 25.
Demontravis was shot and killed on April 14, 2021 around midnight. The shooting was on Wilkinson Blvd. Charlotte, NC. A suspect fired multiple times at Demontravis.
Demontravis was shot and found suffering and bleeding on the street. He died on scene.
Surveillance footage captured the shooting; however, the surveillance does not capture any features of the shooter, only a darkened figure. After the shooting, the subject walked toward a vehicle and entered the passenger side before the vehicle fled from the area. This vehicle was not located.
In June of 2022, two witnesses spoke to detectives and stated that Joseph confessed that he was responsible for the murder of Demontravis. At this time Joseph was already in prison for probation violation charges.
Joseph denied any involvement in the shooting.Both witnesses then recanted the statements that they had previously made to police. So on December 13, 2023 prosecutors dropped the murder charge on Joseph without leave and with no plea agreement.
Prosecutors cited they do not have a witness that can identify the suspect. Also no forensic evidence exists that links Joseph to the crime scene.
