Arizona man convicted of Phoenix boy's murder dies at Eloy prison
An Arizona prison inmate convicted of murder in a 2021 shooting of a boy in Phoenix has died.
Dupree Oquavion Rollins, 22, died March 23 at La Palma Correctional Center in Eloy, according to the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry. Rollins was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 22 years in March 2023, according to the Corrections Department.
Rollins' conviction stemmed from the July 20, 2021, shooting death of 16-year-old Romeo Perkins, according to court and inmate records and reporting by The Arizona Republic. He was also convicted and sentenced to misconduct involving weapons and aggravated assault in 2023 related to the murder case, according to the Corrections Department and court records.
"Due to the nature of Dupree's death, an investigation is currently being conducted by ADCRR's Office of the Inspector General," read a statement from the Corrections Department. "More information will be shared as it becomes available. All inmate deaths are also investigated in consultation with the county medical examiner's office."
Court documents said Rollins was tied back to Perkins' death through witnesses, surveillance footage and social media communications. Police found Perkins wounded by several gunshots early in the morning in a living room at an apartment unit near Glenrosa Avenue and Black Canyon Highway, according to court documents. Perkins was pronounced dead at the scene with 10 casings found nearby, court documents detailed.
Charging documents noted a woman called 911 and said she was inside the apartment with Rollins and Perkins when the three left and then returned shortly after. Video surveillance corroborated her account, according to court documents.
Rollins told Perkins' family that he shot the boy 10 times, according to court documents.
On Snapchat eight days later, Rollins admitted to a man whom he and Perkins were staying with at the apartments that he shot the boy because he feared the teen and the 911 caller were planning to kill him, charging documents said.
Phoenix police announced on Aug. 27, 2021, on the social media platform X, previously known as Twitter, that they had booked Rollins on suspicion of murder.
As of March 26, there have been at least 14 Arizona prison deaths in March 2025, according to the Corrections Department.
Eyewitness account: Arizona promises transparent resumption of death penalty. For witnesses, much is unseen
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Inmate dies in Eloy prison after convicted of Phoenix boy's murder
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