ANSONIA – An 18-year-old Ansonia woman appeared in Milford court on Friday (Feb. 23) on charges stemming from a fatal daytime shooting on Hodge Avenue last year.
Jada Artis is accused of murder and robbery charges in connection to a shooting at 1:30 p.m. on July 14, 2023, that left 36-year-old Abdul-Jalil Humphrey dead.
Sahvon Valentine, 20, was arrested on the same charges.
According to Artis’ arrest warrant, Humphrey was sitting in his Hyundai Elantra in a friend’s driveway when he used his cell phone to call his friend inside the house. The friend told police he answered Humphrey’s call and heard gunshots.
He walked outside his house and found Humphrey shot while two cars – including Humphrey’s Elantra – fled the scene.
The friend also said he saw the man in Humphrey’s car firing a pink gun into the air.
Video surveillance from a neighbor’s house corroborated this story. In the video, a woman is seen leaving Humphrey’s vehicle shortly before a man walks up and shoots Humphrey through the passenger window.
Police believe the woman in the video to be Artis due to both her clothing, which matched up with videos she had taken on her phone that day, and a review of the video by a school official who identified Artis..
Text messages recovered by police show Artis arranging to buy an ounce of marijuana from Humphrey a few days before the shooting.
Both vehicles believed to be connected to the shooting were recovered by police. Police found Humphrey’s Hyundai in New Haven, while the Chevy Malibu was seized at a hotel by Middletown police. A pink Ruger EC9 9mm pistol was recovered, too.
Artis was arrested on Nov. 3. Valentine was arrested on Dec. 12, just over a month after he was sentenced to two years in prison for a parole violation.
Though Artis’ Friday court appearance was brief, several of her family members were present. She is represented by New Haven attorney Paul V. Carty. Her next court appearance is Friday, April 12.
Neither Artis nor Valentine have entered a plea. Valentine’s next appearance is scheduled for Thursday„ March 21.
As previously reported by the Valley Indy, Humphrey’s Facebook page showed a man with a sense of humor who was proud of his kids. He was a graduate of Ansonia High School. He was also a video-game streamer, one of the thousands of people live-streaming the popular‘Call of Duty’ franchise.
