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Case file

Travae Monique Jackson case file and memorial story

This documented case file remembers Travae Monique Jackson while organizing the public record, timeline, and reporting context surrounding the case in Midland, Texas.

On September 27, 2021, Kionne Gevaughn Lewis broke into the Midland, Texas, apartment of his 28-year-old ex-girlfriend, Travae Monique Jackson. Travae had recently ended the relationship and had an active emergency protective order against him due to ongoing stalking and continuous family violence, which included a prior incident where he attempted to force her into a vehicle. Lewis brutally assaulted Travae, causing fatal blunt-force trauma and multiple gunshot wounds. Afterward, Lewis used Travae's phone to lure her friend, Matisse Guidroz, to the apartment and shot him twice. Guidroz survived and contacted authorities. Lewis fled to New Mexico, where he rammed a police cruiser and led authorities on a high-speed chase before hiding in a pasture. The following day, three local ranchers recognized him, held him at gunpoint, and detained him for law enforcement. Lewis was convicted of capital murder and aggravated assault, receiving a sentence of life in prison without parole. His conviction was upheld on appeal.

Travae Monique Jackson
Resolved case
Convicted
Midland, Texas • September 27, 2021 • Ex-girlfriend
Stalking intimate partner homicide gun violence Domestic violence Protective Order Violation Luring/Entrapment High-Speed Chase Blunt Force Trauma Capital Murder

How to use this case file

Readers often arrive looking for the victim name, the case, the person charged, or the location. This page is meant to help you understand the memorial story, the documented timeline, and the public record available so far in one place.

Browse the full case archive, explore the warning signs index, see the cross-case timeline, or find domestic violence support resources.

Victim summary

This summary layer helps readers understand the person, the known case posture, and the documentary shape of the file before moving into the fuller reporting.

Case snapshot

  • Victim: Travae Monique Jackson
  • Age: 28
  • Gender: Female
  • Race / ethnicity: B
  • Relationship: Ex-girlfriend
  • Offender: Kionne Devaughn Lewis

Location and dates

  • City: Midland
  • County: Midland
  • State: Texas
  • Incident date: September 27, 2021
  • Date of death: September 27, 2021

Case status and outcome

This section summarizes the documented court posture and procedural outcome reflected in the public record.

Status

  • Case status: Sentenced
  • Conviction status: Convicted
  • Source strength: 8 linked sources

Charges and sentencing

Charges: Capital Murder & Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon

Court monitoring

This section reflects core court-tracking details only when they are available in the public case record.

Docket information

  • Case status: Sentenced

Warning signs and risk factors

These markers help readers connect a single case to broader patterns of coercive control, escalating abuse, and missed intervention points.

Risk factors

Prior domestic violence reports Recent breakup or pending separation Access to firearms Escalating threats

Life, memory, and case context

Travae Monique Jackson was a 28-year-old mother of two living in Midland, Texas. Remembered by the Texas Council on Family Violence as a "true spitfire of a woman," she was an active, loved presence in the lives of her friends and children. In the weeks leading up to her death, Travae bravely took the necessary legal steps to protect herself from her abuser, successfully ending the relationship, reporting previous abuse to authorities, and securing an active emergency protective order. On the night of her death, she was simply enjoying a quiet evening at home and preparing dinner for a friend.

Fatal incident and reported circumstances

In the early morning hours of September 27, 2021, Kionne Lewis violated an active protective order by going to Travae Jackson's apartment complex. Investigators determined he forced entry into her upstairs apartment by prying open the sliding glass door. Once inside, Lewis inflicted severe blunt force trauma to Travae's head, causing skull fractures, and shot her multiple times in the head, thigh, abdomen, and hand, killing her in her bedroom. Lewis then used Travae's cell phone to impersonate her via text message, luring a friend, Matisse Guidroz, to the apartment. When Guidroz arrived, Lewis ambushed and shot him twice. Guidroz managed to escape the apartment and alert the police.

Aftermath and case developments

Kionne Lewis fled the scene in a pickup truck armed with a rifle, crossing into New Mexico. On the evening of September 27, he engaged in a high-speed pursuit with New Mexico State Police, reaching speeds of 100 mph, and intentionally rammed a police vehicle before abandoning his truck and fleeing into a pasture north of Roswell. The next day, three local ranchers recognized him from social media alerts, held him at gunpoint, and convinced him to surrender his rifle until deputies arrived. Lewis was indicted in the 142nd District Court of Midland County. In October 2023, a jury found him guilty of capital murder and aggravated assault after about an hour of deliberation. Because the state did not seek the death penalty, he received an automatic sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder, plus 20 years for the assault on Guidroz. Lewis subsequently appealed his conviction (Case 11-23-00256-CR), claiming there was insufficient evidence of a burglary (a requisite element for the capital murder charge), but the Eleventh Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment, citing the physical evidence of forced entry.

Prevention context

This case illustrates several critical barriers and systemic warning signs regarding intimate partner violence. Travae Jackson did everything the system asks victims to do: she ended the relationship, reported previous abuse (including a public kidnapping attempt at an airport), and obtained an active emergency protective order. The abuser also had legal firearm prohibitions in place. Despite these structural barriers, the abuser illegally retained access to a firearm, stalked the victim, and escalated his violence to a fatal level. The case highlights the profoundly high-risk period immediately following a separation. It also underscores the tactical phenomenon of abusers ignoring protective orders to break into secure spaces, and utilizing the victim’s digital devices to trap secondary targets.

Court records and public filings

Public filings, police reports, court dockets, and related records help establish what is documented, what remains disputed, and where warnings were recorded.

Court record or filing

Re-Indictment

Midland County, Texas grand jury against Kionne DeVaughn Lewis, detailing charges of capital murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The indictment outlines the alleged intentional killing of Travae Jackson during the commission of burglary, sexual assault, and kidnapping, as well as the shooting and injury of Matisse Guidroz. The approach follows standard legal procedures, presenting the grand jury's findings and the specific statutory violations. The outcome is the formal accusation and initiation of criminal proceedings against the defendant, serving as the foundational legal document for prosecution.

verified Re-Indictment
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Court record or filing

CR57240---LETTER-FROM-COURT-OF-APPEALS

verified Affirmation of Judgement
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Court record or filing

On Appeal from the 142nd District Court Midland County, Texas Trial Court Cause No. CR57240

This document will confirm many details of the case

verified KIONNE DEVAUGHN LEWIS, Appellant V. THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee
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Court record or filing

Letter from Inmate

Letter from inmate

verified Letter from Inmate
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Court record or filing

Affirmation of Judgement

verified Affirmation of Judgement
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Court record or filing

KIONNE DEVAUGHN LEWIS, Appellant V. THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee

verified KIONNE DEVAUGHN LEWIS, Appellant V. THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee
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Additional evidence and source material

Some materials do not fit neatly into one category but still belong in the documentary record of the case.

News report

31-year-old Midland man sentenced to life without parole after being found guilty for capital murder

MIDLAND, Texas — Midland County District Attorney Laura Nodolf has announced that 31-year-old Kionne Devaughn Lewis has been sentenced to life in prison and 20 years after being found guilty of capital murder and aggravated assault.

verified 31-year-old Midland man sentenced to life without parole after being found guilty for capital murder
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News report

New Mexico Ranchers Capture Texas Murder Suspect

Kionne Devaughn Lewis, 29, of Midland, fled law enforcement into the remote and rugged area north of Roswell, N.M. New Mexico State Police were contacted late Monday by the Texas Rangers requesting assistance finding Lewis, who had a rifle and was driving a 2013 Ford F-150. Law enforcement had issued a warning that Lewis was considered armed and dangerous.

verified New Mexico Ranchers Capture Texas Murder Suspect
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Document or transcript

Honoring Texas Victims

Travae Jackson, 28 SEPTEMBER 27, 2021 | MIDLAND Travae Jackson died in her apartment when her ex-boyfriend, Kionne Lewis, 29, shot and killed her. Travae had an active protective order against Lewis due to a history of violence and stalking. Lewis was also prohibited from owning firearms. On the day of the homicide, Travae sent her friend a video of Lewis pointing a rifle at her and violating the Protective Order. Travae’s friend stated they received another text message requesting that they come over and the front door was unlocked. When the friend went to Travae’s home to help, they discovered Lewis inside with a firearm. Lewis shot and injured Travae’s friend. Lewis then fled to New Mexico, where authorities arrested him and charged him with capital murder.

verified Honoring Texas Victims
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