July 27, 2026 | By: Cliona Joy Piligan

This story is part of a collaborative project between Project: Cold Case and the University of North Florida’s Applied Journalism class.

On a warm afternoon in Plant City, Florida, Zonte’veon Shaw looked into the camera for a YouTube video called “Deeper Than A Cut,” and put his personal philosophy into words.

“Life is about experiences, man. I wanna experience all my emotions, and everything before I leave here, you feel me? I wanna experience love. Life ain’t nothing but experience,” said Zonte’veon to the camera.

His time with family and friends was cut short when the 30-year-old father was murdered on Christmas Day in 2023. His body was found at a local cemetery and his case remains unsolved.

Zonte’veon was born on July 31, 1993, and grew up in Plant City, also known as “Itty Bitty City,” alongside his brothers, Monte and Fransuā. Known as the “Winter Strawberry Capital of the World,” Plant City is a humble setting between Tampa and Orlando.

He was the youngest of the three siblings. According to Connie Shaw, Zonte’veon’s mother, her sons would spend their time together playing video games such as Mortal Kombat, Madden NFL, Donkey Kong, and Halo. When Zonte’veon and his brothers weren’t gaming, they were outside playing football and basketball.

At home, Zonte’veon’s friends and family would call him by some version of his nickname: Zonte, “Z,” or Tu’Juan, his middle name. Connie remembers him as a child who loved going to church and once recalled him and his brothers, who were 5 and 7 at the time, reading John 3:16 together for a Christmas play.

“The brotherhood was still strong,” said Connie. It remained strong even as her sons grew up and their paths diverged.

Donzella Fitchett, Zonte’veon’s grandmother, said he had thoughts of pursuing basketball as a career. He also had a talent for rapping since elementary school, and he adopted the stage name “Bossman Twan” as he got older. As an adult, Zonte’veon worked at Burger King, Popeyes, and at C&S Grocers as a warehouse worker.  His jobs made him a familiar face among regulars in his community. According to Connie, her son always made friends. But no matter how busy Zonte’veon was, he made time for his mother and grandmother. Zonte’veon often stopped by to see his grandmother and bring her the newspaper, and for Connie, he would text her just to say, “I love you, Mom.”

During family gatherings around the holidays, Zonte’veon loved everything his grandmother cooked. Whatever came out of her kitchen- chicken, ham, pork chops, oxtails, Zonte’veon ate it happily.

Always, Donzella, Connie, and the rest of his family reminded him to do the right thing and keep God first. For Zonte’veon, his faith was central to his life.

“He always spoke of God every day, wherever he went,” said Donzella.

Connie remembered most of all how deeply Zonte’veon loved his daughter, Paris. To Connie, being a grandmother to Paris feels “awesome,” not only because of the bond between Paris and her uncles, but also because Paris adored her father. Now 14 years old, Paris reminds Connie of Zonte’veon in small, but noticeable ways.

“The way she moves her mouth, she is like her daddy,” said Connie. Though Paris says she wants to do nails one day, Connie and her family encourage her to pursue college. “She’s a special little girl,” said Donzella.

On Christmas Eve, 2023, Connie said she and her family spent the night together. The next day, Zonte’veon was at his grandmother’s house with his girlfriend and Paris. In the evening, Zonte’veon left his grandmother’s house to meet his 20-year-old friend, Jamayais Bennett. Connie said Paris was expecting a kiss from her father when he came back, but that moment never came. As Christmas night stretched, Connie could not reach her son on the phone. When Zonte’veon stopped calling and texting back, she had a gut feeling something was wrong.

Around 9:41 p.m. on Christmas, police responded to a shooting at Louisiana Street and South Morgan Street in Plant City. According to Plant City police, witnesses saw the shooter driving a silver SUV, which pulled up and fired multiple rounds at two people, including Jamayais. After the shooting, Jamayais died due to his injuries at the hospital. Police were also informed of a second victim involved, but they did not find anyone else who had been shot. Zonte’veon’s friends visited Donzella’s home to tell her about the shooting, who then informed Connie.

Between Christmas Day and December 27th, Fransua and Connie searched the neighborhood tirelessly for Zonte’veon, looking through sheds and tracking his phone. On December 27, 2023 police responded to a call from an employee from the Garden of Peace Cemetery who found Zonte’veon’s body, covered in blood. Police confirmed it was him due to an identification card. Investigators believe he was also shot on Christmas Day but are still working to understand how he ended up in the cemetery.

In the years since, Connie has thrown herself into seeking answers. She has contacted Plant City Police and even tried to find footage from nearby Ring cameras, trying to find anything that might identify who killed her son. Connie, who works as a medical assistant, asked the police whether Zonte’veon’s clothes were dry when he was found. She believed that if they were, he had not been lying outside all night but spent some time dying in someone’s car. It remains unclear how Zonte’veon ended up alone in the Garden of Peace Cemetery, and investigators have not publicly confirmed her account.

Advocating for her community’s safety, Connie continues to stand by the saying, “If you see something, say something.” Her son, Fransua, felt the impact of his younger brother’s death too, and became more wary of people. Fransua said he did not fully realize that Zonte’veon was gone until he was buried on his own birthday. As for Monte, Connie said that he had to grieve his younger brother’s death alone while working in California and kept a cardboard cutout of Zonte’veon from his funeral to feel close to him.

Grief over the loss of her son has reshaped Connie’s daily life. She no longer celebrates major holidays like Christmas or New Year’s. She became reclusive for a time and turned to therapy as it became challenging to show up for her surviving sons. When trying to explain the consuming nature of her sorrow, Connie said it “felt like rebirthing a person, but it wasn’t coming out.”

Connie shared her story about Zonte’veon’s death in a short but meaningful post on Moments That Survive, an online forum opened by Everytown for Gun Safety, a non-profit organization that advocates against gun violence in the United States.

Zonte’veon’s family remembers him as an outgoing man who deeply valued faith and family. Donzella said her grandson gets brought up in conversation from time to time. She and the rest of Zonte’veon’s family visit his grave occasionally, too. Pictures of Zonte’veon are everywhere in her house. For Donzella, justice for Zonte’veon’s death means the person responsible is caught and punished.

“We talk about him. We love him. We still love him,” said Donzella. “Someone is always talking about him. He’s still in our mind and our memory.”

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Anyone with information concerning Zonte’veon Shaw’s unsolved homicide is asked to call the Plant City Police at (813) 757-9200. To remain anonymous and possibly eligible for a reward, call Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay at (800) 873-8477.

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