On the night of March 1, 2026, in Beaumont, Texas, 31-year-old Chrishiann Joy Marks was fatally shot inside an apartment at the Pine Club Apartments on Pine Street. Around 11:37 p.m., multiple gunshots were fired into the unit where Marks was with a friend; the friend ducked for cover and tried to render aid but Marks was unresponsive. Officers arriving found her deceased inside the apartment.

Investigators said the attack was not random and that the apartment itself appeared to have been the intended target after a prior disagreement involving the occupants. Police asked residents to check surveillance footage for anything suspicious around the time of the shooting and identified a person of interest who was detained.

24-year-old Kimothy Bessard of Port Arthur was arrested after being picked up on an unrelated outstanding warrant. He waived his Miranda rights, gave a statement that investigators said included details only someone involved would know, and physical evidence at the scene was reported to corroborate the confession. Bessard was charged with murder and held at the Jefferson County Correctional facility with bond set at $1.5 million; he was also being held on an unrelated December 2025 aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge with a separate $500,000 bond. Police say the investigation is ongoing and further arrests are expected.

If anyone has information about the shooting, the occupants of that apartment, or nearby surveillance footage from the Pine Club Apartments on the night of March 1, please come forward.