The Breakfast Club - DONKEY: 16 Year Old YN Breaks Down In Court After Being Charged As An Adult For Murder

Episode Date: February 26, 2025

Charlamagne Tha God Gives Donkey of the Day to a 16-year-old in Gastonia, North Carolina, charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Zaquavious Dawkins. Listen For More!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey y'all, I'm Maria Fernanda Diaz. When You're Invisible is my love letter to the working class people and immigrants who shaped me. Season 2 shares stories about community and being underestimated. All the greatest changes have happened when a couple of people said, this sucks, let's do something about it. We get paid to serve you, but we're made out of the same things. It's rare to have black male teachers. Sometimes I am the testament.

Listen to When You're Invisible on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is John Cameron Mitchell and my new fiction podcast series, Cancellation Island, stars Holly Hunter as Karen, a wellness influencer who launches a rehab

for the recently cancelled. In the future, we will all be cancelled for 15 minutes. But don't worry, we'll take you from broke to woke or your money back. Cancellation Island's revolutionary rehab therapies like Bad Touch Football, Anti-Racism Spin Class and Mandatory Ayahuascaahuasca ceremonies are designed to force the cancel to confront their worst impulses. But everything starts to fall apart when people start disappearing. Karen, where have you brought us? Cancellation Island, where a second chance might just be your last.

Listen to Cancellation Island on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you remember what you said the first night I came over here? How goes lower? From Blumhouse TV, iHeart Podcasts, and Ember 20 comes an all new fictional comedy podcast series. Join the flighty Damien Hirst

as he unravels the mystery of his vanished boyfriend. I've been spending all my time looking for answers about what happened to Santi. What's the way to find a missing person? Sleep with everyone he knew, obviously. Listen to the hookup on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. What would you do if mysterious drones appeared over your hometown? I started asking questions. What do you remember happening on that night of December 16th? It actually rotated around our house, looking as if it was peering in each window of our home.

I'm Gabe Linners from Imagine, I Heart Podcasts and Leonard's Entertainment. Listen to Obscura, Invasion of the Drones, wherever you get your favorite podcasts. This is a Donky. He's a donkey. He's a little mother-****** horse. Oh, man, Charlamagne, you giving Donky a day to who now? Well, Busta Rhymes, Donky of the Day for Wednesday, February 26th goes to Shawn Simpson.

Shawn Simpson is a 16 year old North Carolina teenager who broke down in tears after in court after being charged as an adult for murder. Let's go to Fox 46 for the report please. Shawn Simpson came into Gaston County Court at points wiping away his tears as he stood before a judge. Just 16 years old he's being charged with first degree murder as an adult. That's as a result of a law change that went into effect in December, which allows teens his age to be charged as an adult in certain crimes. There was a realization that during this proceeding that the gravity was hitting him, a grand jury indictment that could come in the near future and a moment that hit when a judge told him that he would not be seeing freedom anytime soon. Court made of the hold without bond court

finds sufficient allegations to support the charges. Charges without something that's a quite the stock and family says they needed to be here for Simpson accused of killing Dawkins Sunday night along Chester Street. Simpson also accused with attempted first degree murder involving another victim. Dawkins family says he was going to get medical supplies for his mother when he was killed. I would say this is a teachable moment, but I've been alive 46 years and I haven't seen too many of

you learn yet. Okay, all of these are rerun. Sadly, I don't understand why we aren't breaking this cycle. I don't understand why we aren't learning I mean truthfully this is me at 16 or 17 of course I never killed anyone, but I've been in dumbass situations like this when I was 16 or 17 I went to jail for assault and baddie would intend to kill okay the charge got changed the point and presenting a firearm But I was literally just in the back seat of a car and one of my homies shot at another car Just dumb and young and reckless wasn't about nothing just teenage kids who don't really know any better I wrote about it in my first book black privilege opportunity comes to those who create it and the reason I'm telling this story is because when my homie shot it was three people in the car the

bullet hit the headrest of deceit nobody was sitting in the empty seat behind the passenger seat but what if that seat wasn't empty then I go to jail for accessory to murder unless I sn, which I probably would have. My point is, trouble is easy to get into and hard to get out of, and none of us have the time stone from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, okay? The time stone allows the user to control time.

You can rewind, fast forward, travel through time. When you see this young man, Sean Simpson, break down like that in court, don't you think he wish he had a time stone so he could rewind the time and not do what he did? Of course he would. Of course. Okay, Sean and the young man he killed, Zequavius Dawkins, had a fight according to People magazine the previous year at Ashbrook High School. I don't know who won the fight, but it clearly wasn't Sean. And guess what? Kids, you gotta learn to take an ass with it.

Okay, because these are just all hypotheticals I'm about to spew. But if you fight, get your ass whipped, even if it goes viral, so what? Okay, when anger rises, think of the consequences. Would you rather go viral because you got your ass beat in school? Or would you rather go viral because you in the courtroom getting charged with murder and then when you get charged with murder you looking like Simba screaming out after Mufasa got trampled by the wildebeest. This is exactly what Simba felt in that moment, a mix of shock, grief and disbelief.

But the grief you feel spending the rest of your life in jail because you getting charged as an adult isn't the same as the grief Zequavius' mother feels. So I don't feel bad for you. Okay I'm sad about the situation because two young black men aren't gonna have a future and society you know keeps failing these young men. I read that Sean is being held in the Gaston Adolescent Center where he has been undergoing treatment. Okay the Center treats children and adolescents that have significant emotional and behavioral difficulties. Now I'm not the highest grade of weed in the dispensary, but why wasn't he getting this treatment before

he committed a murder? I guess I still got to say allegedly, but allegedly. Okay, there had to be signs. There had to be some type of disciplinary issues at home and in school, but those signs were clearly ignored. But of course, we don't get people help until it's way too late and that's what I'm sad about. Okay, these things could be prevented. But I don't feel bad for Sean. Okay, because Zequavius was walking to a store to buy items for his disabled mother. And that's when Sean saw them. That's when Sean shot them. Okay, listen to me read what it says. Okay, this is what it says happened in People magazine. I'm gonna read this and you tell me what movie this sounds like.

Zequavious and his friend walk in the family dollar to get items for Zequavious' mother. A black Tesla drives past and a boy in the backseat identified as Shawn Simpson shouts something out the window. Zequavious and his friend began to run. When the car returns again, Shawn Simpson allegedly starts shooting from the back and that's how poor Zequavious got shot and killed.

What movie does that sound like? Boys in the Dam. Y'all was ready to say Boys in the Dam, Ricky, okay. But this ain't no movie, dog. Okay, Zequavious is dead for real because Sean Simpson made a choice that he is clearly now regretting and that he clearly can't change.

And destiny is not a matter of chance. It's always a matter of choice. And I'm sad that Sean Simpson didn't make a better choice, but I'm not moved by Sean Simpson's tears. I'm not moved by his outbursts in court. You know why? Because I know Zequavius Dawkins' mother is crying way harder than Sean ever will.

Okay, there is a quote, and the quote is everyone makes mistakes in life, but that doesn't mean they have to pay for them for the rest of their life. Kids, I wanna tell y'all that quote is a lie. Okay, yes, everyone makes mistakes in life and depending what that mistake is, you will probably pay for it for the rest of your life,

literally, and first degree murder in North Carolina is absolutely a life sentence. Please give Sean Simpson the biggest EO. 16 years old man. 16. That's crazy. 16 years old. That's crazy but for me it was him breaking down. Oh, realizing what it is?

Yeah, like, you know. Too late? Nah, it is. You know, you out here trying to be a YN, in you might go to jail and be a YB dad. No, I'm sorry I don't I I do not be feeling sorry for like yo come on like that little boy not here no more This is all because you you couldn't just fight him you couldn't just keep fighting him Just that ain't that how I used to be back in the day you before you go get a gun you keep fighting until you win Or whatever just well I mean people used to come back blasted to you said we used to be back in the day? Before you go get a gun, you keep fighting until you win or whatever.

Well, I mean, people used to come back blasting too. We used to say the same thing back in the day. I think now it's heightened because it's recorded and it goes viral, not a world sees it, as opposed to just your hood. Yeah, but it happens often, like almost every day. It happens a lot more. It seems like guns are more accessible.

Yeah, like what was your... At a higher rate, right? Because growing up, you probably only, well, I'm from New York, the country is a lot different, but you might have only known one person with a gun. Yeah. Or maybe two people with a gun. I'm not about to say it. Or you was either scared to, yo, honestly, like, you used to be scared to touch guns. What world have y'all lived in? We didn't have guns. And then if in New York, you'd automatically get, I think it's two years or three years in prison if you were found with a gun. So you... I'm 46 years old, gun violence has been going on since the beginning of time. It has. But I in New York, you'd automatically get, I think it's two years or three years in prison if you were found with a gun. So you-

I'm 46 years old, gun violence has been going on since the beginning of time. But I didn't know, now it seems like every kid has a gun. Like, and not just small guns, I mean ARs, I mean shotguns, I mean UZIs, I mean extended clips. Everybody had to grow up just like you or something.

Like we all live in different areas. The country's a little different. We're acting like this is a new conversation. No, we're not acting like this is a new conversation. This is not a new conversation. We just don't all have the same perspective. No, no. Gun violence has been going on since the beginning of time.

It has, but it's worse now. And by the way, I just mentioned one movie, Boys in the Hood. Right? This is the same scenario from Menace's Society, too. Menace's Society. Dude get beat up and he come back blasting. This is life, sadly. Yeah, I understand.

And that's why I said the cycle doesn't ever break. This has been going on for a long long time I'm not gonna sit here and tell that lie like, you know Gun violence has not been prevalent for a long time. It has but it seemed like it's gotten worse in the last Last couple years. Yeah, it's just with somebody else got a different opinion respect it and shut up I maybe we just care more because we're adults now because think about it when you were we was young we used to glorify it He was young you kind of used to celebrate it a lot. Right. That's just the fact. Let's open up the phone lines about this kid 800-585-1051. Do you

feel bad for this kid? He's 16 years old. He allegedly shot two teens. He's not gonna be charged as a child. He's gonna be charged as an adult. He broke down and caught yesterday crying so you can tell where his mind frame is 800-585-105 on let's discuss. Yeah, let's discuss you feel sympathy. Do you feel sad for this young man? Something for the situation of the cycle that never seems to be in I'm sad for the little boy mother when I hear That's part of the cycle. Yes, but that's that's who I'm saying for let's talk about it We'll take phone calls. We'll talk about it in depth when we come back.

It's The Breakfast Club. Good morning. Don't get a day is sponsored by renowned personal injury attorney Michael the Bull Lamonsoff. Don't be a donkey when you need a fighter on your side. If you're ever injured, go to michaelthebull.com. That's michaelthebull.com. And when you mess with the bull, you get the horns. Wake that ass up.

In the morning. The Breakfast Club. Wake that ass up! Early in the morning. The Breakfast Club. Hey y'all, I'm Maria Fernanda Diaz. When You're Invisible is my love letter to the working class people and immigrants who shaped me. Season 2 shares stories about community and being underestimated. All the greatest changes have happened when a couple of people said,

this sucks, let's do something about it. We get paid to serve you, but we're made out of the same things. It's rare to have black male teachers. Sometimes I am the testament. Listen to When You're Invisible on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is John Cameron Mitchell you get your podcasts. for 15 minutes, but don't worry, we'll take you from broke to woke or your money back. Cancellation Island's revolutionary rehab therapies like Bad Touch Football, Anti-Racism

Spin Class and Mandatory Ayahuasca Ceremonies are designed to force the council to confront their worst impulses, but everything starts to fall apart when people start disappearing. Karen, where have you brought us? Cancellation Island, where a second chance might just be your last. Listen to Cancellation Island on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you remember what you said the first night I came over here? How? Go slower?

From Blumhouse TV, iHeart Podcasts, and Ember 20 comes an all-new fictional comedy podcast series. Join the flighty Damien Hirst as he unravels the mystery of his vanished boyfriend. I've been spending all my time looking for answers about what happened to Santi. What's the way to find a missing person? Sleep with everyone he knew, obviously. Listen to The Hook Up on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Hi, I'm Arturo Castro, and I've been lucky enough to do stuff like Broad City and Narcos and Roadhouse. And now I'm starting a podcast because honestly, guys, I don't feel the space is crowded enough.

Get Ready for Greatest Escapes, a new comedy podcast about the't feel the space is crowded enough.