Instead of celebrating a young woman’s birthday in Georgia, her family was left to plan her funeral. Teonia Stokes was shot and killed in late January 2026, days before her next birthday. Stokes, a young mom, was seven months pregnant with her second child at the time of her death. The woman, who was studying to be a teacher, was killed in unknown circumstances, and the man who allegedly shot her has been arrested. In a surprising turn of events, another man, who was shot alongside Stokes, has now also been arrested. Although they haven’t given details, police said the actions of both men ultimately led to Stokes’ death.
The 22-year-old mom was shot in the early morning hours of January 25, 2026, the City of Monroe Police Department announced in a news release at the time. When police arrived, she was already dead.
Curdarious Williams also had a gunshot wound, police said. After an investigation involving multiple law enforcement agencies, Dorreous Brooks was taken into police custody “without incident,” the release noted.
In a February 20 news release, the police department announced that Williams had also been arrested in relation to Stokes’ death.
“Following a comprehensive investigation, detectives with the Monroe Police Department concluded that the death of Teonia Stokes resulted from the actions of Dorreous Brooks and Curdarious Williams,” the release read. “Williams, who was initially shot and transported to a local hospital on the night of the incident, has since been released from medical care and taken into custody.”
Currently, it is unclear if or how Stokes knew Williams and Brooks.
Stokes, who was already mom to a 2-year-old daughter, was expecting a baby boy in April, 11 Alive reported. “She was proud of her girl she already got… we’re going miss her,” shared her father, Joe Stokes.
The young woman also was just months away from earning her teaching degree from Kennesaw State University.
“T… she was… Oh God, she was full of hope, she was full of life, she was full of promise,” said her aunt, Cal Durham. “And all she wanted on this earth was to be loved.”
Her sisters described her as the “sweetest person,” saying “she was always there for each one of us,” per 11 Alive.
Stokes’ family told the outlet she was only two days away from her 23rd birthday at the time of her death. “My sister didn’t deserve this,” Jadah Stokes said. “So we were making funeral arrangements on her birthday… on her birthday,” Durham added.
Stokes was already working as a student teacher, her family said. “The world didn’t get a chance to see what she was gonna offer,” sister Demecia Sparks said. “She loved children. The kids she left behind at Dacula Elementary — I know they’re devastated.”
Both Books and Williams have been charged with felony murder, feticide, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a felony, Monroe police noted in the news release.
Brooks also has been charged with aggravated assault, aggravated battery, and reckless conduct.
