Sixteen months have passed since Sandra Grace opened her door to find detectives bearing bad news. Her son, Diondre Overton, a two-time national champion wide receiver who starred at Clemson, had been fatally shot at a house party in Greensboro, North Carolina. The loss remains ever-present, even as the family presses forward in its pursuit of justice. So, as 22-year-old Jeremiah Blanks’ first-degree murder trial moves through the court system, Grace has made her position clear: if they must live a lifetime without their beloved “Big Play Dre,” the person accused of taking him away deserves the same fate.

“We have a life sentence,” she shared with The State. “I’ll never see Dre again. I’ll never have a conversation with him again. … And if you have the disregard for life that you will take somebody’s life, knowing that they can’t come back, then I think you should serve the rest of your life in prison as well.” 

Blanks is charged with first-degree murder, classified as a Class A felony under North Carolina law. It allows for life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. And that’s precisely the outcome the Overton family is demanding.  They have made it clear that they want no plea deals, no sentence reductions, no compromises in a punishment that they see justified, given the irreversible nature of their loss.

“There’s no bringing Dre’s life back,” Grace said. “If you’re 20 and you already have the disregard for human life, I don’t think there’s rehabilitation available for you…. Life in prison without the possibility of parole is exactly what all of us want.” The family’s stance is rooted in what they say separates this case from an accident or random violence: police allege the shooting was intentional.

That level of intent, Grace argues, warrants the most severe legal consequences available. The final hours of Diondre Overton’s life remain painfully vivid for his mother. That evening, he’d returned home from work in high spirits. He and his brother had recently purchased a house, and the furniture they ordered had finally arrived. The family planned to move everything the next morning. Just before midnight, a friend invited him to a party. “I’ll see you tomorrow, mom,” he told her. “I’m going to hang out.” Those would be the last words they ever exchanged.

Shortly after 2:30 a.m., Guilford County law enforcement received reports of a disturbance at a residence. They were quickly followed by urgent calls about gunfire. Officers discovered Diondre Overton with a gunshot wound to his chest in the living room of what investigators later determined was an Airbnb property. Though first responders provided emergency care immediately, Diondre Overton was declared deceased at approximately 3 a.m. A medical examiner later ruled the cause of death a gunshot wound to the chest, and investigators recovered a shell casing matching a .45-caliber handgun at the scene.

Authorities apprehended Blanks, then 20 years old and from Detroit, about a month following the shooting. They extradited him from Michigan to face charges. A grand jury formally indicted Blanks in December 2024. Investigators have said they do not believe Blanks and Overton knew each other prior to that night. Records indicate a fight broke out in the backyard before the shooting, though it remains unclear who was involved.

In the months since Overton’s death, his family has also worked to carry forward his legacy beyond football. They established the Diondre Overton Hustle & Heart Foundation, which focuses on raising awareness about gun violence and supporting at-risk youth in the Greensboro area.

Now, as the case advances through the legal system, the Overton family’s stance has been formally communicated to the prosecutors handling it, and it leaves little room for negotiation. But while they have been unequivocal about the outcome they want, the path to that outcome does not rest with them alone.

Why prosecutors face limits despite the family’s demands

The Guilford County District Attorney’s Office, which is prosecuting the case on behalf of North Carolina and the family, has already been told in no uncertain terms that the family does not want any plea deals for Jeremiah Blanks. Steve Cole, the assistant district attorney serving as lead prosecutor, acknowledged the family’s position and said he’s communicated their wishes to the lead district attorney. 

“If I were in Mrs. Grace’s position, I’d be in the same place,” Cole told The State. Since Blanks had no prior criminal record, any plea agreement would likely involve him pleading guilty to a lesser charge like second-degree murder with a reduced sentence. That would be something far short of the life imprisonment without parole that Grace and her family are demanding. But for them, anything less than the maximum punishment feels like a betrayal of Dre’s memory.

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Cole explained that his office sees themselves as “victims’ advocates.” But they must also balance what families want with the actual strength of the evidence. “It’s paramount to keep our communication lines open and for families to understand that their desires are heard,” he said. “But, ultimately, this is evidence-driven.”

For now, Blanks remains held without release in a Greensboro-area detention center and is represented by local defense attorney Alec Carpenter. He has not yet formally entered a plea. If no plea agreement is offered or reached, the case is expected to go to trial later this year. Grace said her family is prepared to wait.

“He had a right to live,” she said. “He did exactly what he was taught to do, not bother anybody. And even that wasn’t good enough.”