Murder trial begins
Husband accused of paying hitman to kill his pregnant wife
Jurors heard the terrifying details of how a pregnant woman was shot dead in her own Palm Beach County home — as the woman’s husband began his murder trial Thursday on charges he hired a hit man to kill her.
Prosecutors argued that even though a gunman pulled the trigger, the victim’s husband, Euri Jenkins, paid him to do it.
On Thursday, prosecutors say Jenkins gave $1,500 and a gun to shooter Joevan Joseph, who then shot Jenkins’ wife, Makeva Jenkins, in the head, inside her home west of Lantana. She was a mother of three children. Makeva Jenkins, 33, was killed about 2:20 a.m. on June 29, 2017.
Also arrested around the time of the killing was Dametri Dale, who prosecutors say introduced Euri Jenkins to Joseph.
Palm Beach County Assistant State Attorney Richard Clausi told jurors that Joseph will testify that even though he fired the shot that killed Makeva Jenkins, her husband commissioned the killing.
Prosecutors say Euri Jenkins had his wife killed for the life insurance payout, inquiring about his wife’s $500,000 insurance policy after the killing. But he didn’t get the settlement: He wasn’t the listed beneficiary.
Clausi, in his opening statement, warned jurors they may not like the witnesses who testify. “You don’t have to like witnesses and in fact, I highly doubt that you will,” he said.
He painted a picture of the tragic shooting — and Euri Jenkins’ inaction as the hit man made a getaway.
“Within a few seconds of Joevan Joseph going into that bedroom, and he’ll tell you himself, he put a bullet in Makeva’s head, which ultimately led to her death,” Clausi said. “Joevan Joseph then, as soon as the deed is done, runs out of the house. In fact, he jumps over this defendant, and again, this defendant does nothing. Does nothing.
“His kid downstairs on the patio, another kid in a play pen, a shot had just rung off in his beloved wife’s bedroom. Doesn’t do a thing.”
Clausi said Euri Jenkins had set up the murder of his wife in advance, using quote fingers multiple times to refer to Joseph as an “unknown” shooter and around “beloved,” to refer to Euri Jenkins’ view of Makeva Jenkins.
In his opening statement, Euri Jenkins’ defense attorney, Cyrus Toufanian, called into question how reliable the witnesses would be. He said that Joseph and Dale had lied several times before and that they struck plea deals to get out of life sentences in prison.
Dale admitted during his testimony that he had lied after swearing to tell the truth about this case before, but that he was ready to tell the truth.
“It took a while for me to accept responsibility for my actions and at the very least, the family of Makeva Jenkins deserve to know the truth,” Dale testified.
During questioning, Dale said prior to the shooting, he didn’t witness Euri Jenkins give Joseph money or a gun, but noticed that Joseph had a handgun that he described as a silver-colored revolver as they left the Jenkins’ home.
Dale said he got angry at Joseph for bringing a gun into his car and asked him where he got it. Later, Euri Jenkins invited Dale and Joseph back to his house, according to Dale.
The court proceedings are expected to take several days.
Jurors looked on stoically as they listened to testimony in Jenkin’s murder-for-hire trial, which saw years of delays. Though the killing was nearly five years ago, the pandemic contributed to the delays in court.