F.A.M.E.
Families Against Murder / For Equal Justice
Page Title: A Mother Fights For Justice
A Mother Fights For Justice
July 15th, 1996, a mother's worst nightmare became a reality. That reality was the murder of my youngest son. My son was gunned down ambush style as he stood helpless on the front steps of the home of the mother of his son, who was 1 year old at the time. The police believe that my son was shot down by two or more gunmen, and left dead on the ground with five bullets in his body, one fatal shot to the head. My son was unarmed, nothing in his hands but, a Burger King bag. The police found approximately 30 bullet holes embedded in the house that is located at the crime scene. Inside the home, at the time that the murder took place, was the mother of my son's son, their 1 year old son, and the eighty seven year old great-great grandmother of their son. Fortunately, the great-great grandmother's life was spared because of an antique high back, mirrored dresser in front of a window, which absorbed the impact of several bullets.
Two months later, in September of 1996, my long journey for justice began. It was necessary that I try to put my grieving aside so that I could have a clear perspective as to the things that were going on. Several weeks had past since my son was murdered, and at this point, no one from the police department had taken a formal statement from me, or from my other two sons. I asked the detective, who was in charge of the investigation, why I had not been asked to give a formal statement as to what I knew about my son's murder; however, just like many other questions that I asked, I never got a direct answer. From that day on, I felt that the effectiveness of my son's murder investigation had been seriously jeopardized because of negligence on the part of the police department and the prosecutor's office. I made numerous phone calls to the detectives investigating the case, in an effort to get a progress report on the case, but my telephone calls were very seldom returned. Finally, I got a chance to meet with the Chief of Police and the County Prosecutor; however, after that meeting I became even more frustrated and confused. At this point, I knew within my heart that my husband and I would have to step up and speak out publicly, and try to rally some community support in our effort to obtain justice for my son's murder.
In August of 1997, my husband and I did not feel that the judicial system had performed adequately in our behalf; therefore, after seeking help from other organizations, who failed to follow up or show any concern for our cause, we decided to organize our own group. I named the group F.A.M.E. (Families Against Murder / for Equal Justice). F.A.M.E. will provide the ongoing support needed to help surviving family members in the reconstruction of a new life, and to promote a healthy resolution. F.A.M.E. will also help survivors deal with their acute grief, and also help them in dealing with the criminal justice system and the media.
I did not feel that the investigation of my son's murder was conducted as thoroughly and aggressively as it should have been. I also felt that the prosecutor's office did not provide us with the kind of performance that we as victims were entitled to. This feeling, not only led me to organize F.A.M.E., but also prompted me to take my concerns to the office of the State Attorney General of Michigan. We met with representatives of that office, and as a result of that meeting, and my relentless pursuit of justice for the murder of my son, the FBI became actively involved in my sons investigation. Unfortunately, after September 11, 2001, the agent that was working on the case was reassigned to help investigate issues surrounding that tragic event. The case is now in the hands of the Calhoun County Cold Case Team.
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