The serene early morning hours on Helsley Road were shattered by a storm of gunfire, leading to a truly devastating scene and the arrest of a man now facing the most serious charges: Arsenio Cordell Davis. What makes this tragedy particularly chilling is the nature of the victims, with the initial investigation pointing toward a son allegedly turning on his own mother. The community is reeling from the sheer violence and the deeply personal nature of this unspeakable event.
It all unfolded around 1:30 a.m. when federal task force officers, initially responding to a shots-fired call, descended upon a residence that would soon become a nightmare crime scene. Inside the home, they discovered a lifeless woman, identified as Betty Pratt. It was a harrowing start to a case that quickly escalated from a single tragedy to a double murder investigation. Witnesses on the scene painted a horrifying picture, claiming they saw Arsenio Davis, Betty Pratt’s own son, brandishing two firearms. He was reportedly seen firing first at a man who attempted to intervene or speak to him, and then, in a devastating moment, turning his weapon toward his mother.
As officers worked tirelessly to secure the scene, a truly baffling development occurred. Arsenio Davis, apparently having left the immediate vicinity, returned to the house through the back door. He was carrying a strange assortment of items: two backpacks, a wig, and a pair of purple latex gloves that were ominously stained with blood. This bizarre attempt to re-enter the very location of the crime ultimately led to his immediate arrest, bringing a temporary end to the immediate danger, but only deepening the mystery surrounding the violence.
The sheer scale of the incident became clear when DEA agents conducted a thorough search of the residence. Tucked away in the kitchen, they made a second, equally disturbing discovery: the body of a man who has not yet been publicly identified. The details of his wounds were horrific—shot multiple times in the face, back, arms, and hands, with one of his arms partially severed. This finding confirmed the tragedy as a double homicide, suggesting an almost frenzied, brutal attack that took the lives of two people within the confines of a single home.
Davis is now staring down a mountain of serious charges, a reflection of the brutal nature of the crimes he’s accused of committing. He faces charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, and unlawful possession of a weapon as a former convict. This last charge is particularly relevant, as Davis had previously served three years behind bars for trafficking cocaine, highlighting a troubled past that has now culminated in this tragic violence.
Even as law enforcement worked to process the highly volatile scene, the chaos continued. Two officers were injured while carrying out their duties. One was bitten by a dog, a common occupational hazard, but the other suffered an assault from an unrelated woman. Identified as Lakita Fleming, she was arrested after illegally breaking into the perimeter of the crime scene and allegedly assaulting an officer. Her actions, while separate from the homicides, underscore the frenetic and dangerous environment officers faced.
As the case moves through the Shelby County justice system, the community is left grappling with the incomprehensible question of what drove a son to such an extreme act of violence against his own mother and another man. The weight of these charges—first-degree murder for one life and second-degree murder for the other—means Arsenio Cordell Davis is facing the full force of the law for a tragedy that has shattered a family and left an indelible, painful mark on a quiet neighborhood street.