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Rhameir Bush, 29, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder in Milford Superior Court. The plea comes nearly eight years after 21-year-old Jajuan Benavides was gunned down in the early hours of August 11, 2017, prosecutors said.
Surveillance footage and phone records revealed Bush and Jacob “Jewla” Freeman, the gunman, met with Benavides late on August 10, 2017. Just hours later, Freeman, masked and dressed in black, chased Benavides down Anson Street and shot him three times, authorities said.
Prosecutors say Bush, who was driving a dark Jeep Grand Cherokee, dropped Freeman off at the scene and was later spotted on surveillance near the corner of Anson and Sixth Streets moments before the shooting. In a chilling jailhouse confession, Freeman allegedly told another inmate he “stood over him and let him have it,” as Benavides pleaded, “chill Jewla, chill.”
Freeman is serving a 48-year sentence after a jury convicted him of the murder in 2024.
Bush’s involvement became clear during the investigation, with video stills confirming his presence near the crime scene. Despite not pulling the trigger, prosecutors argued he played a critical role in planning the attack, officials said.
Bush is set to be sentenced on March 7, 2025. He is expected to serve 14 years of a 20-year sentence, followed by five years of probation, prosecutors confirmed.
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