Former Griffin officer accused of improperly investigating brother in murder case turns self in

SPALDING COUNTY, Ga. - A former Griffin police officer indicted for violating his oath of office has turned himself in.

D'Marquivius Jamon "DJ" King, 25, of Griffin, surrendered on Friday, March 22, and was booked into the Spalding County Jail.

The GBI was tapped to investigate King after his questionable handling of a murder investigation in 2021 that reportedly involved his brother.

DMarquivius Jamon King

King was assigned to investigate the shooting death of 25-year-old Javarreis Reid that May.

He was reprimanded that year for failing to notify his chain of command that his brother, 23-year-old Damon Beck, was a suspect. He also failed to list Beck as a suspect "on any documentation."

Beck wasn't arrested until 2023. He was charged with murder and aggravated assault.

The case was presented to a Spalding County Grand Jury on March 20, 2024. A "True Bill" indictment was handed down, and King turned himself in two days later.

The GBI's independent investigation into the matter has been turned over to the Griffin Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office for prosecution.

Anyone with information related to this investigation is encouraged to contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Columbus at 706-565-7888. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.

Who was Javarreis Reid?

Javarreis Demonta Reid-Flemister was a 25-year-old father of one who was killed on May 9, 2021. His obituary stated he was a Griffin Spalding County schools graduate who was known for his jokes, rapping, singing and fashion. He went on to become an entrepreneur and owned a local transportation company.

One of Reid's closest friends, Ray Muhammad, spoke to FOX 5 Atlanta after King turned himself in.

He said when Reid was killed, he was traumatized.

Javarreis Reid

"I was absolutely devastated [because] I could not believe there was a young brother with a promising future who has a very young daughter, you understand, who he adored," Muhammad explained. "And for you to take our brother's life in the manner in which he died, it was just traumatizing for me even to think about. I still get chills."

Muhammad said he was very disappointed to find out an officer was accused of covering for his friend's suspected killer.

"Of course I was angry, because you're a sergeant on the police department, promoted to that position after the fact," he explained.

Muhammad said what he found especially infuriating was how long it took for law enforcement to formally charge the former officer.

"It's not like no new information, really, just all of a sudden just popped out of the blue. You had this information. Why did it take you so long to move on the information that you had?" he asked.

He explained that was the moment his trust in the Griffin Police Department was shattered.

Javarreis Reid

"How one of my boys, one of my friends, someone that I'm close to, our brother I love, get murdered and then one of your officers is almost complicit in the cover-up of that," he said. "Of course, we're not going to trust the police." 

Muhammad said his trust is, however, starting to be rebuilt. It began with the hiring of a new police chief at the start of the year.