Tanai Jones Paterson NJ Murder, Where Is Chadrick Chappell Now?
The murder case of 21-year-old Tanai Jones was featured in season four, episode seven of the unscripted real crime series Cold Justice, “If I Can’t Have You, No One Can” (2017). Tanai was murdered in 2000, but even now, twenty years later, the case threads are still frayed. Even though Chadrick Chappell was identified as the suspect, he hasn’t yet been put before the court.
The true crime investigation series Cold Justice follows former Harris County, Texas, prosecutor Kelly Siegler and a team of experts as they revive cold unsolved murder cases with the assistance of the local police department. As of July 2021, the team has an extensive legal and social impact of 49 arrests, 21 convictions, four confessions, three guilty pleas, and three murder convictions.
Even in the case of Tanai Jones, Cold Justice had provided sufficient evidence on the suspect Cadrick, but he is still on the loose. In this article, let us glance at the case’s update, if any.
Tanai Jones Paterson NJ Murder
In 2000, a 21-year-old college student from Paterson, New Jersey, named Tanai Jones, was viciously stabbed by a screwdriver and shot to death. Unsolved and tangled for nearly a decade, the Cold Justice team decided to reopen the case.
The Cold Justice investigating team had to take on one of their most dramatic cases to date: the tragic murder of a stunning college student Tanai Jones who was killed in her bedroom as she packed for a trip to visit her parents for Thanksgiving. The case was aired on September 17， 2017. The date corresponds to season 4, episode 7 of Cold Justice titled “If I Can’t Have You, No One Can.”
The crime scene was first witnessed by Tanai’s family friend, who was there to pick her up for the train to her parent’s house. She was found lying near the bed with puncture wounds on her neck. According to the investigators, a screwdriver was used to stab Tanai, but the ultimate weapon that caused her death was gunshots.
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Tanai Jones Case Suspects
Tanai was believed to be murdered by someone she knew. Four viable suspects were in the line following the incident.
One of them was Rami Robinson, who Tanai met a day before her murder at a wedding. Rami’s testimony confirmed that he and Tania even engaged in a sexual relationship on the night of the wedding, which could explain why Tania had DNA of Rami under her fingernails after she was murdered. But, DNA under fingernails is also a strong indicator of a victim trying to protect themself, so Rami couldn’t be left out of the suspect list.
Another suspect was Charles Devon Holmes, one of Tanai’s ex-boyfriends. He was also at the wedding Tanai went to last night. Because Charles had multiple prior domestic violence charges, investigators suspected that he was mad about seeing Tanai with Rami, which could have pushed Charles to do the deed.
Similarly, another suspect in the case was Keith Hill, who was informed to have done the crime by an anonymous caller. The last suspect in the case was Chadrick Chappell, and someone Tanai was in an off-and-on relationship with at that time. Chadrick Chappell’s alarming number of phone calls to Tanai, especially on the weekend of the murder, made him one of the suspects. On the night of the murder, Chadrick had left several angry voice mails wanting to see Tanai and know her whereabouts.
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Tani Jones Prime Murder Suspect: Where Is Chadrick Chappell Now?
After a series of investigations on the suspects, the prime suspect was ruled out to be Chadrick Chappell.
Chadrick was very violent and controlling towards Tanai, so she planned to break up with him anytime soon. According to the Cold Justice investigators, Chad’s motive was to keep Tanai to himself; that also explains why the episode was titled “If I Can’t Have You, No One Can.”
Chadrick was dating another girl, Natasha, when Tanai was murdered. Natasha claimed that Chad was with her in her dorm room the night of the murder. But, she later confronted that Chadrick had left for his campus in between that night. Natasha also confessed that Chad had changed clothes when he returned and consistently reminded Natasha that he was wearing the same cloth.
Furthermore, Natasha also confessed that Chad had a gun which contradicts Chad’s original testimony that he had no gun. It was leading evidence to Chad being guilty. Moreover, Natasha also said that Chad used to bring his gun to her dorm room, but after the incident, she never saw that gun. Similarly, Chad took Natasha to meet his friends, 40 miles away from Paterson, which Natasha said was a new move Chad did with her.
I’m watching the #ColdJustice case about Tanai Jones where Passaic County D.A. @cameliavaldes1 still refuses to do her job and prosecute this young woman’s murderer. @SieglerKelly #JusticeForTanai #LazyScaredProsecutor
— Chandra Rice (@chandralr) May 30, 2020
Another significant evidence of Chad being the ultimate perpetrator is the testimony provided by his friend Jean. While the Cold Justice team was re-investigating the case, Chad had contacted Jean asking for Natasha. When Chad learned that Natasha was being interviewed, he told Jean to tell Natasha that she didn’t have to do that if she was unwilling. Chad seemed scared, according to Jean.
With all the evidence on hand, by the Cold Justice team met Chad, he was already with his attorney, so they couldn’t talk to him. After this episode of Cold Justice was released, Twitter was flooded with rage and pleading toward Camelia Valdes, the case’s original prosecutor, to prosecute the matter.
As of today, Chad is still on the loose, even with such overwhelming evidence.
