TEXARKANA, Texas–More than 11 years after a man was fatally shot during a robbery at his Texarkana apartment, two suspects are in custody on charges of capital murder, according to court records filed Tuesday.
Demontrae Quartez Collins, 30, was arrested this month while Cameron Marquan Cheatham, 28, was arrested more than a year ago in September 2024. Both have been charged in the June 17, 2014, shooting of 25-year-old Xavier Rollins at the River Crossing Apartments on College Drive in Texarkana, Texas. The case had been cold for more than a decade despite an abundance of evidence, including DNA, being left at the scene, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Police were called at approximately 11:30 p.m. to the scene of the shooting in 2014. They found Rollins lying face down on the ground outside of the apartment he shared with his girlfriend and toddler. The girlfriend told investigators she hid behind a door with the child when two men, both armed with handguns, forced their way inside and began struggling with Rollins while demanding he give them “all you got.”
One of the men was wearing a dirty ski mask with holes for the eyes and mouth and had a green pillow case tied around one wrist. Investigators found the pillow case at the scene and theorized that it had been brought to carry the marijuana they were planning to steal from Rollins.
Investigators collected a handgun from the scene that was on the couch inside the apartment.
They also noted a blood trail leading away from the apartment, indicating that one of the assailants had been shot during the disturbance.
DNA testing was performed on samples collected from the blood trail, from the handgun at the scene, on the green pillow case and on samples collected from beneath Rollins fingernails.
For years investigators could not get a match but last year, a tip led them to Cheatham. In September of 2024, police arrested Cheatham on an unrelated warrant and collected his DNA. At the time, Cheatham was living in a different unit of the same apartment complex where Rollins was killed, the affidavit said.
A comparison of Cheatham’s DNA was made to that collected at the scene and allegedly matched samples from the blood trail. Investigators then set about attempting to identify the second suspect and earlier this year, Collins became a person of interest, the affidavit said.
Collins allegedly provided a sample of his DNA to investigators. Both Collins and Cheathams’ DNA were allegedly found on the green pillow case. The handgun found in the apartment contained several DNA profiles, two of which allegedly matched Collins and Cheatham.
The sample of DNA collected from beneath Rollins fingernails allegedly matched several profiles, including Rollins, his girlfriend and Collins, according to the affidavit.
At the time of his arrest Nov. 12, Collins was allegedly in possession of a large amount of marijuana. He has been charged with possession of marijuana over four ounces and equal to or less than five pounds.
If convicted of capital murder, the men face life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.
However, if Cheatham was under 18 when the crime was committed, he could be ineligible for the death penalty if found guilty of capital murder.
Cheatham’s bond is set at $1 million. Collins’ bail is set at $1,030,000.
The cases have been assigned to 202nd District Judge John Tidwell.