Naman Shrestha
Within a matter of a week or so in late March 2022, three Virginia residents — Czavi’er Hill, Clifton Baxter, and Downing McLean — turned up dead. As the police investigated the brutal murders, they soon realized that all three of the killings were related. The entire case and the swift investigation that ensued are covered in a detailed manner in the episode titled ‘I’m Already Seeing Red’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘Signs Of A Psychopath.’
Czavi’er Hill’s Remains Were Discovered Inside Her Burning House in Virginia Beach
Born on January 14, 1991, Calvin and B’Onka Hill gave birth to Czavi’er Lantina Hill, who entered their life as a little bundle of joy. Sister to Calvin, Jr., she had a bubbly and compassionate personality. During her high school years, she hosted a radio show at Hampton University’s WHOV 88.1 and became a certified on-air radio announcer. After graduating from high school, she majored in Mass Communications at Norfolk State University, where she also co-hosted an on-campus talk show, ‘Golden Message.’ Next, Czavi’er earned her master’s degree in Human Services Counseling from Regent University, where she was pursuing her second master’s degree in Strategic Communications.
Being a religious individual, she also participated in her church by being an active member of the choir. The young woman was also the owner of One Fourteen & Company, through which she helped people find their purpose. Life was looking up as she had landed a job at Eagle Harbor as a lead photographer and editor in Public Affairs. Unfortunately, her life was cut short. On March 24, 2022, her townhome in the 5500 block of Baccalaureate Drive in Virginia Beach caught fire. As the firefighters reached the scene, they found the 31-year-old woman dead with a gunshot wound to her head, alongside her dead dog. On that same day, her car was also found burned and abandoned.
Clifton Baxter and Downing McLean Were Found Dead in Their Respective Houses
While the homicide investigation into Czavi’er’s murder was going on, they found a 73-year-old man named Clifton “Shine” Robert Baxter dead inside his home with a gunshot wound to the head on March 25, 2022. Son of Clifton Sr. and Margaret “Punk” Baxter, Clifton was born on April 29, 1948, in Princess Anne County, Virginia. Growing up with his three siblings — Sherry Edwards, Diane Jones, and Marjorie Baxter — he attended Union Kempsville High School. Later, he enrolled in the US Army and served during the Vietnam War. Later, he was employed at Cox Cable as a Service Technician Supervisor for more than two decades. During his marriage to Dale E. Baxter, the couple welcomed four children into the world — Annetta Baxter, Felicia Baxter, Reshard Wilkins, and Natasha Wiggins.
Just three days after Clifton’s tragic demise, on March 28, 32-year-old Downing Dujuan “Ryde” McLean was discovered inside his house in the 3000 block of Sewells Point Road, in the Pennystown area, with multiple gunshot wounds. Born on July 27, 1989, in Norfolk, Virginia, to John Edward McLean, Sr. and Diane K. McLean, Downing grew up alongside his loving siblings, Ashley C. McLean, Moe McEachin, John E. McLean, Jr., and Darrin J. McLean. After graduating from Landstown High School, he took on multiple jobs while working towards his dream of starting his own mobile car detailing business. With so much to look forward to, all his dreams were shattered when he passed away. Given a series of gunshot victims surfacing in Virginia, the investigators were under a lot of pressure to solve the three homicides, which ended up being connected.
Czavi’er Hill, Clifton Baxter, and Downing McLean Were Connected to the Same Killer
While the detectives were investigating the murders of Czavi’er Hill and Clifton Baxter, they linked a man named Cola Winborne Beale IV, who was Czavi’er’s boyfriend, to the crimes. Meanwhile, the suspect considered Clifton a father figure in his life. Having gathered enough evidence against him, he was taken into custody on March 30, 2022. Not long after, he admitted to being responsible for all three murders. According to reports, the killing spree began on March 22, 2022, when Cola got into an argument with Czavi’er in her Virginia Beach house about her parents asking him about his plans with their daughter.
As the argument got heated, he shot her to death. A couple of days later, he returned to the property and set her property and car on fire. A few days after killing his girlfriend, he went to the residence of Clifton, who was sleeping on the couch when Cola pulled the trigger. Some days later, he killed his cousin, Downing McLean, who allegedly asked Cola to kill more people for him. Cola alleged that he refused and shot his cousin twice because he knew about the murders he had committed. He was officially charged with the murders of Czavi’er Hill, Clifton Baxter, and Downing McLean after his chilling confession.
Cola Beale IV is Currently Incarcerated at a Virginia Prison Facility
With the trial approaching, Cola Beale IV’s legal counsel claimed that the murder of Downing McLean was voluntary manslaughter and not premeditated. However, in March 2024, during his trial for the murders of Czavi’er Hill and Clifton Baxter, the jury swayed due to the evidence presented by the prosecution. After a two-day trial, on March 20, the killer was convicted of two counts of aggravated murder, two counts of arson, one count of abduction, two counts of using a gun to commit murder, and one count of mutilating a dog. A couple of months later, on May 22, Cola was also found guilty of first-degree murder in connection with Downing’s killing.
On July 2, 2024, his sentencing hearing for the murder convictions for his girlfriend and father figure took place. In his victim impact statement, Czavi’er’s father, Calvin Hill, addressed the killer, stating, “I’d call you an animal, but animals kill to survive. You are a monster because it is in your instinct, and it is who you are.” One of Clifton’s sisters, Sherry Baxter, also took the stand and stated, “He looked at me because my family helped raise Beale from a little boy to a grown man for him to do this to my family it’s shocking, it’s hurting, I just don’t understand, and I guess I’ll never understand.”
In the end, Cola was sentenced to three life terms in prison — two for both murder charges and the other for the arson charge. In addition, he was sentenced to 63 years for the other charges against him. More than a month later, on August 23, he received another life imprisonment sentence for the murder of his cousin, Downing. On top of that, he was ordered to serve five additional years for the use of a firearm. As of today, the 34-year-old killer is serving his multiple life terms at Red Onion State Prison in Pound, Virginia.
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