The tragic incident happened in the couple’s Houston apartment, as reported by PEOPLE.
The only surviving witnesses were two children, including a 10-year-old girl who played dead to survive.
What started as a normal evening for the family ended in a criminal investigation that uncovered a twisted and disturbing motive
Let's get into the details.
The Night the Lagway-Carhee Family Was Attacked
On the evening of June 30, 2021, the unsuspecting family was inside their apartment at 12101 Fondren Road in southwest Houston.
Donyavia Lagway, 29, had recently put their one-year-old son Messiah to bed while Gregory Carhee, 35, relaxed in the living room with their daughters—10-year-old Samiyah and 6-year-old Harmony.
Their 8-year-old son was spending the night at his uncle's house.
At approximately 10:27 PM, there was a knock at the door, as reported by ABC 13 News
Samiyah went to answer it, expecting a neighbor or family member.
Instead, a masked man forced his way inside, and within minutes, the situation turned deadly.
The intruder—later identified as Xavier Davis—grabbed baby Messiah by his hair and threw him aside before ordering the family to lie on the couch at gunpoint.
At 10:31 PM, neighbors reported hearing three rapid gunshots.
Davis shot Gregory first, then Donyavia, and finally little Harmony—each one in the head at close range.
He then turned the gun on Samiyah and shot her but luckily, the bullet hit her arm instead of killing her.
Unknown to Davis, Samiyah was still conscious and didn't die.
She remained perfectly still, playing dead as the killer stepped over her during his rampage.
Surveillance footage later showed Davis leaving the apartment at 10:36 PM.
Just six minutes later, at 10:42 PM, Samiyah frantically called her grandmother on FaceTime.
"Granny, someone came in and shot me, my mom, my dad, and my sister," said Samiyah.
She then locked the door and lay next to her unharmed baby brother, protecting him until help arrived.
By 10:51 PM, Houston Police Department officers were on the scene.
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| 6-year-old Harmony |
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| Donyavia Lagway and Gregory Carhee |
The Criminal Investigation and Motive It Uncovered
Within hours of securing the crime scene, investigators made several critical observations that would shape the course of the investigation.
Surveillance video showed a masked man entering the building at precisely 10:24 p.m. and fleeing just twelve minutes later at 10:36 p.m.
Detectives were able to identify a partial license plate on the getaway vehicle, which ultimately led them to 32-year-old Xavier Davis.
Davis was already in police custody on unrelated drug charges after he was arrested just two days after the killings.
During interrogation, Davis initially maintained his innocence but the evidence against him was overwhelming.
Crime scene technicians had matched his shoe prints to those found at the apartment, while cell tower data placed his phone in the immediate vicinity at the time of the murders.
As detectives dug deeper, they discovered his longstanding friendship with a woman named Alexus Williams, 32.
She was the ex-girlfriend of one of the victims Donyavia Lagway, and according to police reports, both women were seeing each other until their recent breakup.
Criminal investigations eventually uncovered a meticulously planned murder-for-hire scheme.
Financial records showed Williams had transferred $3,000 to Davis two days before the killings.
This was followed by a series of cryptic text messages referring to "taking care of that problem."
Jailhouse informants later testified that Davis had bragged about being promised additional payment after completing the job.
The most shocking revelation came when digital forensic experts recovered deleted data from Davis' phone.
A 72-second FaceTime call, timestamped at 10:33 p.m. showed that Davis likely called Williams during the massacre.
This suggests that Williams potentially witnessed the murders in real-time.
According to Prosecutors, this alleged call served as proof that the murders had been carried out as planned.
Ballistics testing conclusively matched the murder weapon to Davis, while the surviving daughter positively identified him in a police lineup.
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Alexus Williams |
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| Xavier Davis |
Legal Proceedings and Justice For The Victims
By March 2022, Harris County prosecutors had assembled an airtight case against Davis and William.
Both suspects now face capital murder charges, with prosecutors seeking the death penalty for Davis and life without parole for Williams.
Due to the overwhelming evidence against him, Davis pleaded guilty on the first day of trial.
According to PEOPLE, Davis also entered a plea agreement because his defense team is trying to avoid the death penalty
However, prosecutors have maintained their intention to still pursue capital punishment during sentencing.
Harris County District Attorney Kim highlighted the overwhelming evidence in the case saying: "This wasn't a crime of passion or a random act of violence. We're looking at a cold, calculated contract killing motivated by jealousy and revenge."
Meanwhile, investigators worked tirelessly to build their case against Alexus Williams, who was arrested eight months later on March 15, 2022.
Unlike Davis, Williams maintained her innocence and pleaded not guilty, setting the stage for what promises to be a hard-fought trial.
Her defense team has signaled they will challenge key aspects of the prosecution's case, particularly the digital evidence linking her to the crime.
As the case moves toward trial, the surviving children remain under protective custody though their lives have been forever altered by the horrific crime.
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