Kriti Mehrotra
When Chervon Monique Alexander was heinously killed on the evening of July 11, 2011, in a darkened parking lot in Chicago, Illinois, it was a tragedy in more ways than one. That’s because the 29-year-old was not only an aspiring police officer but also a single mother doing her best to provide for her family, only to be forced to leave everything behind in the blink of an eye. Investigation Discovery’s ‘911: Did the Killer Call?: Friend in Greed’ chronicles the investigation into this matter to underscore precisely how her assailants were brought to justice.
Chervon Alexander Was Shot Multiple Times Across Her Upper Body
Born in the early 1980s into a reportedly loving, tight-knit family, Chervon Monique Alexander knew the significance of care, compassion, and connection from an early age. She thus grew up to be an incredibly generous as well as an unwa veringly kind individual who wouldn’t hesitate to help those in need, no matter her own situation. Therefore, by the time she was 29 years old, she was not only well-known in her community but also doing her best to instill the same qualities in her 2 young kids. She also hoped to carry them into her dream career as a North Chicago Police Officer, all the while giving love another chance through her bond with Devin Bickham Sr.
Little did Chervon know everything would turn upside down in the late evening of July 11, 2011, when her long-term boyfriend asked her to meet him for some quality alone time. According to court records, it wasn’t strange for him to drive them to a parking lot right adjacent to Dominican University, allegedly so that they could be intimate. What was strange was a man running up to the passenger side door of his car within minutes and opening fire, resulting in his windows shattering and Chervon getting badly hurt.
Devin reportedly contacted the authorities moments later, wailing while reporting his girlfriend had just been shot and how it did not appear as if she was breathing. Thankfully, first responders were quick to the scene and were able to rush the 29-year-old to a hospital nearby, but to no avail — she sadly passed away from her extensive injuries. Her autopsy report later confirmed she had been shot multiple times — with the bullets hitting her mouth, chest, and shoulder — so her cause of death was ascertained to be homicide.
Chervon Alexander’s Killers Were Identified Within Hours of Her Murder
One of the first things officials did upon arriving at the parking lot at Priory Park was interview a still hysterical Devin Bickham Sr., since they believed him to be the sole witness. The fact that he was Chervon’s partner was also crucial, so when he claimed the shooter was a Black man in a white shirt who escaped the scene in a gray vehicle, he was taken seriously. Less than 3 minutes later, a car matching his exact description was pulled over in a traffic stop by Forest Park patrol officers around 2 miles away on Harlem Avenue.
There were 2 Black men inside — one on the driver’s side and one on the passenger side — and they were both wearing white, so Devin was driven there to see if he could identify them. The former police officer initially alleged that the vehicle in question was not one he recognized and that he didn’t recognize the two individuals either, but detectives still chose to run the license plate. That’s when they discovered the car was registered to Devin himself, and then, the 39-year-old suddenly called them to correct himself, stating he did know both of the men inside.
Devin identified them as his 20-year-old son, Devin Bickham Jr. (or DJ), and his 35-year-old friend, Cardell Taylor, following which all 3 were taken into custody for questioning. Investigators had also recovered a gun from under one of the front seats by this point, with DJ claiming someone just threw the weapon inside through his open driver’s side window. Neither Devin nor DJ admitted to any wrongdoing in their interrogation, but Cardell broke down relatively quickly and revealed he had been offered $400 to take Chervon’s life by the Bickhams.
Chervon Alexander’s Murder Was Premeditated
By July 14, 2011, Devin, DJ, and Cardell had all been indicted on the charge of first-degree murder and booked into the county jail without bond, owing to the heinousness of the crime. According to records, Devin was already married when he and Chervon started their romance, but he’d promised to leave his wife, tie the knot with her, and spend forever together. However, as the day of their supposed wedding approached, officials believe he backed out and decided the best solution to his messy circumstance would be to remove her from the picture for good.
As per Cardell’s statements, that’s when he was approached, offered $400 to “scare” Chervon, and then told to “kill the b****!” He was given half the money up front and was told the remaining would be his when the job was done. It’s also imperative to note that while he, Devin, and DJ were being interrogated, during which the latter two claimed innocence, the gun detectives had found was being tested. It turned out that not only did the gun belong to former police officer Devin, but that its ballistics were also a perfect match to the one used in the mother of two’s brutal homicide.
Devin, DJ, and Cardell all stood separate trials for the charge against them, during which it also came to light that the father-son duo was in communication throughout that fateful evening. According to prosecutors, DJ and Cardell were stationed a block away from the parking lot at Priory Park, adjacent to Dominican University, when Devin texted his son precisely where he was parked. Minutes later, Chervon was killed in a shooting aimed directly at where she was sitting on the passenger side of Devin’s car, with the weapon also being Devin’s .380-caliber semiautomatic pistol.
Devin Bickham Sr., Devin Bickham Jr., and Cardell Taylor Are All Serving Time in Prison Today
Devin Bickham Sr. and Devin Bickham Jr. were convicted of Chervon’s homicide by separate juries on May 14, 2014, following which they were sentenced to 95 and 50 years, respectively. On the other hand, Cardell Taylor was found guilty after 5 days of testimonies and 3 hours of jury deliberations on February 6, 2015, as a result of which he was handed down 70 years in prison. So, today, at age 54, Devin Sr. is incarcerated at the medium-security Sheridan Correctional Center in Sheridan, Illinois, where he is expected to remain until at least he becomes eligible for parole.
According to the state Department of Corrections records, Devin’s projected parole date is April 16, 2077, whereas his projected release date is April 18, 2080. As for DJ, the 35-year-old is currently detained at the medium-security Dixon Correctional Center in Dixon, Illinois, with a projected parole date of June 24, 2061, and a projected discharge date of June 25, 2064. Coming to Cardell, at the age of 50, he is incarcerated at the medium-security Hill Correctional Center in Galesburg, Illinois, and his projected parole date is June 20, 2081, whereas his projected release date is June 21, 2084.
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