BAKERSFIELD, Calif.(KBAK/KBFX) — A man convicted of killing 27-year-old Ronnetta Faye Martin in 2022 was sentenced on Thursday to 50 years to life in prison, plus 11 years, while his brother was sentenced to 11 years for arson in the attempted cover-up, according to Kern County court records.
Jahquan Davenport was sentenced on April 30, 2026, for the murder of Ronneta Faye Martin, of Rosamond. Jahquan was found guilty in late February.
Jaysean was acquitted of murder but was sentenced to 11 years for arson. Jaysean was convicted of setting Martin’s vehicle on fire in an attempt to cover up the murder, according to prosecutors.
Ronnetta Martin, 27. Photo courtesy of Kern County Sheriff’s Office.
Prosecutors said both brothers were responsible for Martin’s death and the attempted cover-up, but the Kern County District Attorney’s Office said in February that the jury’s verdict placed responsibility for the murder solely on Jahquan Davenport, who fired the shot that killed Martin.
According to prosecutors, Martin offered the brothers a place to stay at her apartment in Rosamond in July 2022 and also gave them rides. On August 1, 2022, Martin drove them from Rosamond to Lancaster and dropped them off at various places. Later that day, prosecutors said, Martin told Jahquan Davenport that he and his brother were no longer welcome at her apartment and needed to move out.
Prosecutors said an argument had happened in the car as Martin drove back to her apartment. Jahquan Davenport, seated behind her, pulled out a gun and shot her in the back of the head, killing her, the district attorney’s office said. Prosecutors said he pushed her into another seat and drove the vehicle into the Mojave Desert to dispose of her body. While disposing of her body, prosecutors said, he poured juice over her body to attract animals.
Prosecutors said that while Martin’s body was left in the Mojave Desert, Jahquan Davenport kept the vehicle, went to Lancaster to pick up his brother, and the two drove Martin’s car — still covered in her blood — to Inglewood. Prosecutors said they abandoned the vehicle on a residential street and set it on fire. Los Angeles County fire officials determined the fire was intentionally set and classified it as arson.
Surveillance video showed both brothers in the vehicle before and during the arson, and Jaysean Davenport was seen with a bottle of lighter fluid as he left the scene, said prosecutors.
Martin was first reported missing out of Lancaster on August 1, 2022. Her remains were found Aug. 15, 2022, in Mojave.
From left to right: Jahquan and Jaysean Davenport. Photo: Kern County District Attorney’s Office.
“Jahquan and Jaysean Davenport went to great lengths in an effort to conceal a murder and destroy evidence,” Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer said after the convictions. “This crime crossed county lines and required a complex, multi-jurisdictional investigation. Thanks to the relentless dedication of law enforcement and prosecutors, this verdict delivers accountability and honors the life and memory of Ronnetta Martin.”
A third co-defendant, Antone James, was acquitted of murder and arson back in February. She was initially arrested in September 2022 along with the Davenport brothers.