St. Paul man on probation for assault is accused of a killing tied to fight over piece of clothing

A 23-year-old St. Paul man serving probation for attacking a woman has been charged with shooting a man in a North St. Paul home over the weekend during an argument over a piece of clothing.

Zay’Vion Dontavious Edgerson, 23, was charged on Jan. 14 in Ramsey County District Court with second-degree murder in connection with the killing on Jan. 10 of 19-year-old Nehemiah Davis of Coon Rapids in a Cedarview Commons apartment.

Edgerson was arrested on Jan. 13 and remains jailed in lieu of $2.5 million bail ahead of a Jan. 15 court appearance. Court records do not list an attorney for him.

Court records show that Edgerson’s criminal history includes him pleading guilty last month in St. Louis County to domestic assault stemming from the theft of $4,000 from a woman who was with him at the Miller Hill Mall in Duluth in March 2021 and repeatedly punching her in the face.

Judge Shawn Pearson set aside a 21-month term. Instead, Pearson sentenced Edgerson to the six months he had already served since his arrest and three years’ supervised probation. In addition, Pearson barred him from possessing any guns or other dangerous weapons.

Edgerson has also been convicted in recent years for threats of violence, fleeing police and illegal gun possession.

According to the criminal complaint:

A resident told police she heard a knock on a bedroom window about 6:45 a.m. and let in Edgerson, a friend of her daughter’s, and two of his friends. She went back to her bedroom and soon heard fighting and a popping sound.

The woman found a blood trail to Davis’ body. She said he was one of the three people she had let in. She showed police Edgerson’s Facebook profile.

The friend with Edgerson and Davis, identified in the complaint only by the initials XW, disclosed to police that Edgerson drove the three of them to the apartment complex, where he was renting a room from the woman.

XW said that Edgerson and Davis began arguing over a sweatshirt, and the two hit each other before Edgerson drew a handgun and shot Davis. XW said he fled out of fear of Edgerson.

Officers found the vehicle Edgerson drove that morning near his mother’s St. Paul home in the 800 block of Pierce Butler Route. A police search of the SUV turned up two handguns.