CHARLOTTE — Dayshawn Beckham has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of Zenita Graham, which occurred in February 2020.
Beckham, 29, was found guilty of first-degree murder by Superior Court Judge David H. Strickland after exercising his right to a bench trial. The trial began on September 29, 2025, and concluded with the verdict today in Mecklenburg County.
On February 17, 2020, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers responded to a call outside a barber shop on Rozzelles Ferry Road. Zenita Graham, the caller, reported that she had been shot and identified her shooter as ‘Doug.’
When officers arrived, they found Graham on the ground next to the driver’s side of a vehicle, suffering from a gunshot wound. She was alert and able to communicate initially, but later succumbed to her injuries at the hospital.
During the investigation, detectives identified Dayshawn Beckham, also known as ‘Doug,’ as the suspect. He was arrested the following day with a 9mm pistol in his possession.
A search of Beckham’s residence revealed keys to the vehicle where Graham was found and 9mm bullets. A discharged 9mm shell casing at the crime scene matched the pistol found on Beckham.
Fingerprints recovered from the passenger side of the vehicle at the scene were determined to match Beckham’s.
The evidence presented during the trial, including the matching shell casing and fingerprints, led to Beckham’s conviction and life sentence for the murder of Zenita Graham.
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