Court testimony and police records detail the death of 20-year-old Ava Walters and the investigation that led to her boyfriend’s arrest.
MONTGOMERY, AL — The boyfriend of a 20-year-old Alabama State University student has been charged with murder after she was found dead Sunday at an off-campus housing facility, according to Montgomery police and court testimony.
Police identified the student as Ava Walters, a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native and second-year Health Information Management major at Alabama State. Jalil Bivens, 22, also of Fort Lauderdale, was arrested and booked into the Montgomery County Detention Facility on a murder charge. Authorities said Walters’ death was ruled a homicide after an autopsy.
Montgomery police responded shortly before 11 a.m. Sunday to the 1600 block of Interstate Park Drive, where Alabama State was using off-campus accommodations for students. Officers found Walters unresponsive, and she was pronounced dead at the scene. Police initially released few details about the circumstances surrounding her death.
More information emerged during an Aniah’s Law hearing Wednesday, when a homicide detective testified about statements police said Bivens made after investigators advised him of his rights. According to the testimony, Bivens told investigators he had driven from Fort Lauderdale to Montgomery on Saturday night to surprise Walters.
The detective testified that Bivens said Walters met him with a friend and that the group later went to a party. Police said Bivens described an argument involving Walters’ friend before he and Walters left together and went to a Hilton Garden Inn being used by Alabama State to house students while new dormitory construction is completed.
According to the detective’s testimony, Bivens told police that he and Walters argued the next morning. He said he choked Walters during what he described as a consensual act and realized she was unconscious after he released her. Investigators testified that Bivens said he tried to revive her before eventually calling police.
Police said digital records reviewed during the investigation showed an online search at 10:24 a.m. about how to wake someone who had been choked unconscious. Investigators also testified that Bivens contacted a friend by FaceTime several minutes later. The friend told police that Bivens gave a different account during that call, saying Walters had hit her head and was not breathing.
Bivens called police at about 10:54 a.m., according to testimony. Dispatchers instructed him on how to perform CPR while officers were on the way. Walters was pronounced dead after emergency personnel arrived. Police said an autopsy determined that she died from manual strangulation and that some of her injuries were inconsistent with parts of Bivens’ account.
The detective also testified that investigators observed scratches on Bivens’ torso and arms that police believed could be defensive wounds. Those allegations have not been proven in court. Bivens is charged with murder, and the criminal case remains pending.
Alabama State University President Quinton Ross Jr. said Walters was a second-year student from Fort Lauderdale. The university has expressed condolences to her family, friends and classmates following her death. Local reporting identified Walters as Montgomery’s 34th homicide victim of 2026.
A judge is expected to rule on the Aniah’s Law hearing after considering testimony presented in court. The hearing concerns whether Bivens can be held without bond while the murder case proceeds. The Montgomery Police Department said the homicide investigation remains ongoing.
Author note: Last updated August 27, 2026.