The parents of a Kentucky State University student killed in a December campus shooting are now facing criminal charges of their own, not for physical violence, but for what they allegedly said online after the shooter was cleared.
The shooting happened Dec. 9 at Kentucky State University, where 19-year-old De’Jon Fox Jr. was fatally shot during an incident at a campus residence hall. Jacob Bard was initially arrested and accused in the shooting.
After the shooting however, a grand jury declined to indict Bard. Prosecutors determined there was insufficient evidence to move forward, and Bard’s legal team said the shooting was ruled self-defense. Bard has since been released from jail and cleared of all charges.
But what followed online is where the legal trouble began for the deceased’s parents.
Indiana jail and court records show Fox’s parents, De’Jon Fox and Chardnae Cleveland, were arrested in Vanderburgh County on Christmas Day and charged with felony intimidation. Police say the charges stem from social media posts investigators interpreted as threats toward Bard.
According to court documents, Fox allegedly posted, “You will feel the same hurt I feel.” On the following day, he allegedly said, “I get a different hate in my eyes and heart.”
Cleveland is accused of posting, “Might drive to Evansville today and see some Vice Lords!”, a reference police say points to a known street gang associated with violence and organized crime.
Officers documented the posts, took screenshots, and treated them as potential real-world threats. Both parents were taken into custody and later bonded out of jail. During her initial court hearing, Cleveland said she does not know about gangs, turned herself in voluntarily, and has no prior criminal record.
Fox, however, failed to appear for his court hearing on Friday, December 26. A judge issued no bond warrant for failure to appear and he was arrested on Monday, December 29th in Indianapolis.
Court records show the intimidation charges were filed just one day after the grand jury declined to indict Bard in the shooting that killed their son.
Court documents reveal De’Jon Darrell Fox Sr. was also out on bond at the time the perceived threats were made. Fox Sr. is facing charges in relation to a deadly crash from September 2024.
Online jail records show that on Monday, Dec. 29, Fox was booked into the Marion County Jail on charges of Failure to Remain at the Scene of an Accident (three counts), Driving While Suspended, Causing Death When Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated and Causing Death When Operating a Vehicle with a Controlled Substance in the Blood.
The Keyboard Warrior Era Is Over
What this case makes clear is something many people still refuse to accept: The internet is no longer a place where words are dismissed as “just talk.”
Law enforcement agencies such as the Evansville Police Department do not debate intent after a high-profile act of violence. They assess risk. When online posts reference retaliation, harm, or criminal groups, especially in the immediate aftermath of a deadly shooting, police treat them as real potential threats.
This is why arrests happen. Not because officers are policing emotions, but because history has shown that online threats too often turn into real violence.
Words Online Carry the Same Weight as Words in Public
Courts no longer separate online speech from real life. Prosecutors don’t either. A post made in anger, grief, or rage can become evidence within minutes. Screenshots do not disappear. Deleted posts do not protect you.
If you wouldn’t say it directly to someone’s face, don’t post it.
You can grieve publicly. You can be angry. You can criticize the justice system. But once words cross into threats, or are perceived as threats, they stop being speech and start becoming a criminal issue.
The Takeaway
This case should serve as a warning:
- There is no hiding behind a keyboard
- Online threats are treated as real threats
- Law enforcement intervenes before violence happens, not after
- “I didn’t mean it” is not a legal defense
The era of the keyboard warrior is over.
In today’s digital world, words typed online can land you in handcuffs just as fast as words spoken on the street, and this case proves it.
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