Naman Shrestha
18-year-old Amber Meadows was one of the three young women who were taken hostage in a motel room by armed men on a night in July 2018. While the others survived, Amber was found covered in her own blood in the bathroom. The episode titled ‘Room 48’ of ‘See No Evil’ profiles the horrific kidnapping case of three women that led to the tragic demise of one, and the investigation that ensued as the detectives left no stone unturned to identify the perpetrators.
How Did Amber Meadows Die?
Jeri Sue Meadows gave birth to Amber Dawn Meadows on November 2, 1999. Born and brought up in West Virginia, Amber went to Independence High School for her schooling and used to reside in Midway at the time of her passing. Raised in a seemingly loving household, the teenager was an employee at Dicky’s BBQ, seemingly to support herself and her family. While Amber was known to bring her positive energy into any room she walked in, she was allegedly going through a struggle of her own — drug addiction. According to sources, Amber and a couple of her friends were spending time in her Chevrolet Cobalt for a week or so, right before the shooting.
Reports allege that they were indulging in recreational drugs during that time. On the morning of July 9, 2018, the police were called to the Travel Lodge on Harper Road in Beckley after people heard a gunshot. When the authorities arrived at the scene, they found the lifeless body of Amber Dawn Meadows, covered in blood, in the bathroom of Room 48. Upon closer inspection, they learned that it was a critical gunshot wound that took her life. They set up a perimeter around the crime scene and launched an investigation to find out the killer/s responsible for it.
Who Killed Amber Meadows?
After collecting the evidence around the scene of the crime, the police began interviewing witnesses and learned some key facts about the events that transpired the previous night. Amber Meadows was in the company of her couple of friends — Arileah Lacy and Destiny Conkle — in a car on Robert C. Byrd Drive at night. Their time together was interrupted when four men ordered the three friends to follow them to Travelodge at gunpoint.
Upon reaching the motel, the men confiscated Amber and her friends’ phones and forced them to stay in one place. Soon, Amber got into an argument with one of the men over drug money that he believed she owed him. When it started to get out of hand, she was taken to the back of the room, where they continued the argument before a gunshot was heard. After that, the men allegedly panicked and ran from the room. This gave the other two women the perfect chance to escape from their captors. They ran to a nearby restaurant and dialed 911.
The week following the untimely death of Amber was key as the investigators followed the trail of clues and captured all four suspects — Tyrique Pearl, Jonathan Bird, Antonio Williams, and Davide Hudson Jr. — involved in the kidnapping of Amber Meadows, Arileah Lacy, and Destiny Conkle, and the murder of the former. Each of them was charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy to commit a felony. Moreover, Pearl soon testified that Hudson wanted the same fate as Amber for the other two women.
Following the tragic death of Amber Meadows, her mother, Jeri Sue Meadows, opened up to 59 News about how she could not believe that her daughter was not a part of the world anymore. In a heartfelt statement, she said, “They took her life. Only at 18-years-old… 18-years-old. I can’t go home. She has her blankets there, her graduation dress, and some of her clothes there… It’s like I am numb, it’s not real. I think I am going to wake up from a terrible dream.”
There were some fingers pointed at the loyalty of the victim’s two friends, Arileah Lacy and Destiny Conkle, as before heading out of the motel and calling the authorities to inform them of their friend’s murder, they took their time and collected their things from the room while Amber’s body was covered in blood. In her defense, Lacy explained that she was planning to go to her job at Hooter’s later that day, which is why she collected her belongings before leaving. After the suspects were arrested and taken into custody, a trial awaited them.
Davide Hudson is in Prison Today
During the trial of Davide Hudson, there were several testifies made against Davide Hudson. In the light of all the evidence and testimonies against him, on February 2, 2022, the jury deemed Davide Hudson guilty of kidnapping and first-degree murder of Amber Meadows. On top of that conviction, he was also convicted of kidnapping Arileah Lacy and Destiny Conkle, using a firearm in the commission of a felony, and conspiracy to commit a felony. Although he maintained his innocence, he apologized to the family members and loved ones of the victims for his actions.
As for the other three men — Tyrique Pearl, Jonathan Bird, and Antonio Williams — they were also originally charged with Amber’s murder and kidnapping. However, they accepted plea deals and agreed to testify against Hudson. Thus, Pearl and Bird were sentenced to three years of supervised probation and court-ordered rehabilitation. Just three weeks after his conviction, Hudson was sentenced to life in prison for Amber’s murder case. In addition, he received three additional life terms for the kidnapping convictions. Currently, he is serving his sentence behind bars in Mount Olive Correctional Complex at 1 Mountainside Way in Mount Olive.
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