Who Was Ava Walters? Alabama State University Student Killed

Ava Walters was a 20-year-old Alabama State University student whose death at an off-campus university facility in Montgomery, Alabama, on August 23, 2026, is being investigated as a homicide. Montgomery police arrested 22-year-old Jalil Bivens of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and charged him with murder in connection with Walters’ death. Police have not publicly disclosed how Walters died, a possible motive or what relationship, if any, existed between Walters and Bivens.

Ava Walters Death

Walters Was Found Unresponsive At An Off-Campus Alabama State University Facility. Montgomery Police Department officers responded to the 1600 block of Interstate Park Drive at approximately 10:54 a.m. on August 23 after receiving a report concerning a deceased person. Officers found Walters unresponsive, and she was pronounced dead. The location was described by Alabama State University as an off-campus university facility. [WAKA]

Alabama State Initially Announced The Death Without Calling It A Homicide. The university first announced that a student had died following an incident at an off-campus facility and said the investigation had been turned over to the Montgomery Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division. At that stage, officials released few details about what had happened. [WAKA]

Montgomery Police Subsequently Classified Walters’ Death As A Homicide. By August 24, police confirmed that the case was being investigated as a homicide and announced that a suspect had been taken into custody. [WSFA]

Police Have Not Disclosed How Walters Was Killed. Authorities have not publicly released Walters’ cause of death or described injuries found at the scene. Police also have not provided a detailed account of the events that preceded her death. [WSFA]

Jalil Bivens Murder Arrest

Police Charged Jalil Bivens With Walters’ Murder. Montgomery police identified the suspect as 22-year-old Jalil Bivens of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and charged him with murder in Walters’ death. He was taken to the Montgomery County Detention Facility. [WAKA]

Bivens Was Booked Into The Montgomery County Jail On August 23. Montgomery County booking information identifies him as Jalil Nicholas Bivens and records his booking on the evening of August 23 on a murder charge. The charge remains an allegation unless and until it is proven in court.

Walters And Bivens Were Both From Fort Lauderdale. Alabama State officials said Walters was originally from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, while police also identified Bivens as a Fort Lauderdale resident. Authorities have not said whether their shared hometown was connected to the circumstances of the homicide. [WSFA]

Police Have Not Disclosed The Relationship Between Walters And Bivens. Investigators had not announced as of August 24 whether Walters and Bivens were friends, relatives, romantic partners, acquaintances or otherwise connected. [WSFA]

Ava Walters Background

Walters Was A 20-Year-Old Alabama State University Student. Alabama State identified Walters as a second-year student at the historically Black university in Montgomery. Police described her as a Montgomery resident at the time of her death. [WSFA]

Walters Was Studying Health Information Management. University President Quinton Ross Jr. said Walters was enrolled in Alabama State’s Health Information Management program and was beginning her second year at the university. [WAKA]

Walters Was Originally From Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Although Montgomery police listed Walters as a Montgomery resident, Alabama State officials identified her hometown as Fort Lauderdale. [WSFA]

Alabama State University Response

ASU President Quinton Ross Jr. Offered Condolences To Walters’ Family And Friends. Ross released a statement on behalf of the university’s trustees, faculty, staff, alumni and students expressing condolences to Walters’ family, friends and classmates and saying the Alabama State community stood with them following her death. [WAKA]

University Turned The Investigation Over To Montgomery Police. Alabama State said law enforcement was handling the investigation and directed the criminal inquiry to the Montgomery Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division. [WSFA]

Ava Walters Murder Investigation

Walters Was Montgomery’s 34th Homicide Victim Of 2026. Local reporting citing Montgomery police said Walters’ death became the city’s 34th homicide of the year when authorities formally classified the case as a killing. [WSFA]

Police Say The Circumstances Remain Under Investigation. As of August 24, investigators had announced the murder arrest but had not publicly released a motive, cause of death, detailed timeline or explanation of the evidence they say connects Bivens to Walters’ killing. [WAKA]