The entire city of Baltimore has been on edge the last few months with a rash of shootings that has raised the homicide rate in the city to over 300 for the second straight year. Crime as a whole seems to have began to spiked with a rash of violent crimes being committed by juveniles in downtown, becoming a major concern for city leaders, and while being highlighted in the media primarily because the crimes have struck at the heart of the city’s main financial district (the Inner Harbor). The Mayor and city leaders have tapped into every resource possible in a desperate attempt to curve the violence, but appears to be spinning its wheels as the body count continues to rise. As the crime wave swarms over the entire city, no one seems to be immune, while two Baltimore cops have also fallen in a month’s time, and are glaring casualties to the brutality of senseless street violence.

Last night 18-year Baltimore police veteran, Detective Sean Suiter became the city’s 306th homicide victim, when he was shot in the head by an unknown gunman while investigating a lead into a previous homicide. The cop’s investigation took him into the Harlem Park section of the city, one of the toughest turfs on Baltimore’s west side. City Police Commissioner Kevin Davis had been asking all night that the city pray for the fallen officer and his family, as the cop’s condition was dire and appeared bleak because he sustained injury to his brain. Despite the efforts of doctors at shock trauma, Det. Suiter eventually succumbed to his injuries.

The threads on most local news outlets social media websites were filled with heartfelt expressions of condolence for the cop, his family, and the entire city of Baltimore as a whole. The basic sentiment seems centered around a common theme, which is the exhaustion that everyone has with the violence in Baltimore. The discourse regarding “how to solve Baltimore’s violence” is a decades old dialogue that seems to fall upon death ears. The issue tends to reduce into finger pointing, blaming, and a culture of divisiveness resulting in a “us against them” between city government, its police force, and the citizens who largely reside in marginalized and poor sections of Baltimore.

Split right down the middle are diverse perspectives related to the recent killing of a city cop. Some point to a volume of police misconduct incidents like cops who were caught planting drugs of citizens, the recent indictment of 8 police officers in the department’s now defunct gun unit, and the handling of the Freddie Gray case that led to riots a few years ago, as perhaps the most pervasive premise for while its now open season on police in Baltimore city. The relationship between cops and citizens in Baltimore has always been tenuous at best.  Other postures consist of people who regard cops as public servants who protect the various communities that make up the multi cultural communities of the city.

However, regardless what position you possess regarding city politics and the violent crime that plagues Baltimore, one thing is blatantly obvious, and that’s the manner in which cops react to crimes when one of their own are slain, verses when a normal citizen is killed. Some have made the argument that if city police would respond in the same manner when killings of citizens occur as they do when a cop gets killed, that the city probably wouldn’t have as many homicides or as much violent crime. Police officials go to tremendous lengths to bring cop killers to justice and even take unusual measures to catch these kind of killers, like bringing entire classes of police trainees from the police academy to beat the streets knocking on doors, and to obtain even the slightest amount of intelligence that they hope will aid in their investigation.

Its this dichotomy of policing in Baltimore that has fed an ever growing visceral hatred for cops in the city that has spanned decades. In a town where “stop snitching” is the anthem for this kind of crime, a$69.000.00 dollar bounty may not be sufficient to lure support from the community to help solve this crime. Maybe my perspective is unorthodox, or perhaps poorly timed in the wake of this senseless tragedy, but in many communities, not particularly for this fallen police detective, however the tears are few primarily for this city police agency who has failed them, abused them, and remain indifferent from the very people they are charged to serve.

Now in an irony made only for a television crime series like “The Wire” and “Homicide,” city police are now dependent upon the citizens of Baltimore to help jump start their most current and intense hunt for a murderer who killed a cop last night. Those of us who know Baltimore cops well, already know how it will all unfold. They’ll get their man, because they will leave no stone unturned in their pursuit, even if it means having to violate the law or the civil and constitutional rights of private citizens to accomplish this. The citizens of Baltimore wonder though, will city police ever exercise such diligence and tenacity investigating a murder when a common citizen is gunned down as a result of senseless violence?

While cops vehemently mourn the killing of one of their own, other locations all over the city that possess makeshift memorials where Baltimore’s children have fallen, serve as reminders of the horror, the danger, and the shame of a city so engulfed with violence that it snatched the life of a soldier sworn to protect her citizens. There can be no distinction between the police response when citizens fall to gun violence juxtapose to when one of their own is struck down, and if Baltimore ever heals from its own contestation, the gap between its government, police, and her poor citizens must be mended to insure the life of brave cops like Detective Sean Suiter wasn’t lost in vein.

The People’s Champion

I’m Crime writer David B. Adams

Now that a Baltimore City Police Department internal probe of officer Ceasar Goodson has concluded with his acquittal for his alleged misconduct in the death of Freddie Gray, outrage and other questions continue to linger about how Gray sustained what would be fatal injuries on the day he was arrested on Baker street in West Baltimore several years ago. A tragic death that resulted in city wide protest and riots that made national media, has in many ways divided Baltimore’s citizens, politicians, clergy, and its police department.

Authorities claim Gray who had many arrest for petty drug soliciting, intentionally inflicted injuries to himself to avoid having to go to a lockup at central bookings, a tactic police say Gray was known for. Despite amature video recorded by a witness’ cellphone at the scene of Gray’s arrest going public, and depicting Gray seemingly in pain and discomfort, police say it was all an act. Subsequently, Gray was driven around in a police wagon while Goodson made at least 5 stops before cops realized that he was unconscious and not breathing. Gray would succumb to a severed spinal cord a week later.

His death highlighted a long standing claim of police brutality by citizens from many communities just like Sandtowne Windchester where Gray was raised and lived. Anger over yet another unjust killing of a black man while in police custody ushered in tremendous fallout from a public with visceral hatred of its police force, and painted a backdrop of arson, violence, and youth clashes with police throughout the city. In a scene resembling events in Baltimore that followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Baltimore in many respects had seemingly grown impatient with its city government’s lack of accountability of its heavy handed police force.

While the media, police, and city government chose to focus on the unrest that followed Gray’s death by citizens during the riots and uprising, the central issue of exactly what happened to Freddie Gray became lost in a vacuum of political scapegoating and finger pointing which decried the obvious deficiencies within Baltimore’s social, economic, and political landscape that hand been simmering for decades. The criminal cases of police officers involved in Gray’s arrest being dismissed by Baltimore’s top prosecutor Marilyn Mosby, only added fuel to a fire that has yet to be extinguished in a city where many of its citizens are illiterate, and remain angered by policing that has historically brutalized them.

In a October 2015 blog article, A “Chink In The Armor” For BCPD Officers Charged With Killing Prisoner: Cop’s Account May Solidify State Case In Freddie Gray Death, I outlined the timeline of Freddie Gray’s arrest by city police. In the breakdown of the various stops that officer Goodson made, the stop at Freemont and Mosher streets is perhaps the most interesting. In a surveillance video obtained from a corner convenience store during a separate investigation by the Baltimore city sheriff department which was ordered by Mosby, Goodson is captured stopping the vehicle and going into the back of the wagon. Police say he was simply checking on Gray, but it is quite plausible that Gray may have sustained his fatal injuries during that time.

Gray who many experts argue was a victim of “contempt of cop” (targeted by police who have arrested him a number of times without meaning punishment) had been placed in the police wagon head first and faced down. Goodson who probably was annoyed by Gray’s behavior in the rear could have went inside of the wagon and stomped on Grays neck causing his spinal cord to be severed, and while there is no proof of such a claim in my argument, Goodson having made that particular stop (a stop that would not have been brought to light if Mosby hadn’t ordered a parallel investigation by the sheriff’s office)  should have been under intense scrutiny to determine why he stopped. Lt. Rice had just ordered Goodson to stop and allowed officers to remove Gray to place shackles on him before being transported to Central Booking.

The Freemont and Mosher stop and the Druid Hill Avenue stop are both suspicious. They leave tremendous suspicion on police interaction with Gray during these time periods, while no officer deemed it necessary to seek medical attention for an arrestee in their custody. All of the stops made by cops while going in and out of the back of the wagon isn’t normal behavior or procedure. It is however common for Baltimore police to stop and pick up other prisoners while in transit to Bookings, but very unusual and suspect for a wagon to turn around in travel in an opposite direction to make a pick up, especially when the wagon is merely blocks away from Central Booking when a call is put out for a transport vehicle.

Some say Goodson was a scapegoat and simply transported Gray, while the injuries to Gray must have occurred during his arrest. A perspective that is highly disputable based on police standards related prisoner transport. Goodson had the right at anytime to call a medic for Gray, solely predicated on the fact that once he accepted Gray as a prisoner in a police vehicle he was operating, he obtained full responsibility of Freddie Gray’s well being. Officer Goodson was present at the scene where Gray was arrested and stood by while cops loaded a man who on the surface appeared to be injured, and was visibly crying out for assistance. Goodson should never have accepted Gray as a prisoner in his custody based on those facts alone.

Consequently, all of the stops that Goodson made while having custody and control of Freddie Gray goes a long way to establish a depraved attitude toward the security and well being of a prisoner in Goodson’s care. More alarmingly though, as it relates to criminal and internal police charges against officer Ceasar Goodson, is the unconscionable decision to arrive at an acquittal on all charges by a police investigative panel that amounted to nothing more than a body of self governance (a measure widely scrutinized by critics who argue that Baltimore police is constantly being allowed to police themselves). The panel’s weak rationalization of blaming the police department’s failure to widely disseminate a new departmental memo regarding seat-belt requirements for all prisoners being transported, is regarded by many within the public as a disturbing basis for letting Goodson off the hook for his role in the death Gray’s death.

At the very least Goodson was expected to receive some punishment surrounding the entire Gray matter. Goodson failed to not only follow police procedure (failure to notify all personnel regarding the seat-belt policy doesn’t mean Goodson, who should have known the policy regardless, doesn’t mean he was unaware), he failed to follow a direct order given by Lt. Rice, who directed him to transport Gray to Central Bookings. If there ever was a person to use as a fall guy, Goodson was well positioned to take such a hit, but the fact that none of the police officers involved in the Freddie Gray matter have ever been held accountable, speaks volumes about the culture of policing in Baltimore that has been long decried by citizens as a brutal and heartless agency run by thugs.

Advocates and others who support the police will try to move on from the tragedy that resulted in the death of Gray, who himself had a troubling upbringing. The victim of lead poisoning as a child created developmental issues for Freddie Gray and his twin sister all of their lives, and prior the circumstances that resulted in his senseless death being national news, the story of Freddie Gray’s life was perhaps the most tragic story told. Now those who reject the posture from the public seeking accountability for brutal cops, are using the Freddie Gray story to rationalize a spike in Baltimore’s current climate that has seen a spike in violent crime, but those educated on Baltimore’s police know that Gray’s case and current crime are like apples and oranges, because despite much of the innuendo and other hyperbole being spewed about Freddie Gray’s character, he was never convicted for any violent crimes.

So, while the political cat and mouse continues with Baltimore’s version of a national epidemic (police brutality), the scars of a city’s pain will forever be seen through the tragic story that unfolded on Baker street in Baltimore’s historic community of Sandtown-Winchester, when cops failed to assist a man name Freddie Gray who called out for help while in their custody. More importantly, what happened when officer Ceasar Goodson entered the back of the police wagon with no one around to bare witness, should be facts about Gray’s story that we should equally remember, and stamped within our hearts and minds for ever.

The People’s Champion

I’m Crime Writer David Adams

Its hard to believe that in the seven years since Janice and Raheem Mustafa’s middle daughter (Phylicia Simone Barnes) met a fateful tragedy while visiting relatives on her biological father’s side of the family, no one has ever been prosecuted for this promising child’s murder. In the years following her killing, a lot of tears, hurt, and continued pain has engulfed her family as the reality of coping without such an intelligent and beautiful daughter begins to settle.

Phylicia was called “Simone” by her close relatives, like her big sister Shauntel and baby sister Iyana. Three beautiful females who were very close. Its a bond that despite Simone’s passing, remains in tact to this day. Shauntel explains that when they were younger the sisters had a thing of calling each other by there favorite names, but only in reverse. For instance ‘Letnuahs’, ‘Enomis’, and ‘Anayi’. It was a silly girl’s past time that was only unique to Janice’s beautiful female children.

Since Simone was murdered you can imagine the grief that the surviving daughters must have endured, considering that a link in the chain was broken among a closely knit family of mostly females. Growing up in what would be the Mustafa home, I’m sure there were fights, indifference, and other disputes just like any other family. Yet, it was just unconscionable to think that something so tragic would happened to one of Janice’ girls, especially Phylicia. Described as a “silly naive country girl” by her mother, Simone was often times the center of attention within the many social circles she belonged.

Janice told me that her daughter was a student leader at the Academic Academy high school she attended, acting as a mentor and even began working as a youth counsel to underclassmen at her school. Simone was described as a self starter, who got a job to help her parents buy her own car. She always kept her head to the skies, Raheem said. “My baby girl always wanted me to take her to the airport to watch the airplanes take off and land,” a past time he enjoyed with young Simone.

Simone and all of the kids who grew up in the Mustafa home weren’t street kids. They had structure, guidance, and two hardworking parents in the household that brought up their children in rural North Carolina. If you’ve ever had the opportunity to interacted with Janice’s kids, you could easily see the amazing job she accomplished with her girls. That’s what makes her story so heartbreaking. She was a child on an expedition to connect with her biological father’s family in Baltimore when evil reared its ugly head, and snatched this precious child from this world forever.

Over the years I have written a volume of articles about this promising kid’s tragic story. You can read them all at The People’s Champion Blog, by typing Phylicia Barnes in the search engine at the top right corner of the homepage. My efforts have have help keep this child’s story in the public in hopes that people will come forward to help solve her cold case.

Mean while, Shauntel and Iyana have launched an apparel website in memory of their slain sister to help fund and bring awareness to the growing issue of Missing and Exploited children. The website can be reached here: Enomisis (E’ nomis-sis) and stands for Simone Sis backwards. The site features a volume of lady t-shirts with the Enomis insignia, SLUT (Sophisticated, Luxurious, Unique, Trend) T’s, a variety of mink eyelashes, and trendy knee high socks in flavors with the Enomis logo. In addition, Shauntel is the designer of her own wig line. The site has contact information to reach out to her for custom orders and other request.

While they probably will never fully overcome the horror of this senseless tragedy, their tribute to their sister gives them a project, a purpose, and a venue to continue fighting for her justice. The T-shirts says something about one’s character. It says innocence, beauty, as well as intelligence. It speaks to the never ending bond of sisterhood and togetherness. a family trait that her surviving sisters want to share with the world, in hopes that you never forget the pretty purple flower who was found floating in a river. A very sad commentary. #enomis #justiceforphyliciabarnes

The People’s Champion

I’m Crime Blogger David B Adams

The tragedy of what happened to Flora Malone’s youngest daughter five years ago is simply too heartbreaking to some up in pages of the local press or on a blogger’s headlines. Vanessa who was affectionately known as “Honey” was only 100 pounds soak and wet a family says, which makes it more disturbing that someone would shoot her in the back, snuffing out her life, and taking her from her family forever. A cowardice act by an even more cowardice individual.

The details of that fateful night has always been sketchy, but in five years since her tragic killing the police claim they have no solid leads, and only say one man is a person of interest. The pleas for someone to come forward and tell what they know has always fallen upon death ears, as the streets in Stone Mountain turned its back on one of their own. Honey was a native daughter who lived, worked, and went to school in the community. What happened to this teen could have happened to any other young female coming up and that neighborhood.

The fact that she was shot in the back should outrage everyone living there, as I’m sure young Vanessa didn’t pose any threat to a gang of heavily armed men. How could you sleep, walk in that community, or even simply go through every day life knowing something a brutal murder case? The world is dark and heartless. Do the right think. Here’s my audio Message about ‘Honey.”

The People’s Champion

I’m Crime Blogger David B. Adams

She wasn’t a typical Baltimore mother, passionate, tough, and a woman who cared about the community that her children were growing up in. Angela Dawson and her husband Carnell were raising 6 kids in a small neighborhood tucked away behind the infamous Greenmount Cemetery in a gritty section of East Baltimore, where the remains of John Wilkes Booth are interned, and one of many poor sections of the city known to residents as Oliver.

The landscape of the Dawson family’s home was no different from other parts of town, where urban blight is common place. Oliver and surrounding communities had boarded up houses that emerged during the onset of high drug traffic, homicides, and other violent crimes that has permeated the predominately African American community for decades. Like much of the city, Oliver’s abandoned housing problem left many streets with just a few residents still living on the block. The seemingly abandoned neighborhoods gave way to a proliferation of drug soliciting that brought addicts into the community, who descended on the neighborhood like the walking dead.

Drug dealers pounce on blocks that hold few residents, because the cops usually don’t patrol streets that have little to no activity. That’s when Angela Dawson took action and began a consistent campaign to rid her block of drug activity, so her kids could at least play on the streets and sidewalks near their own home. Her constant complaints to police resulted in conflicts with local dealers who used intimidation tactics in retaliation for disrupting their drug operations.

Baltimore Police say that Angela Dawson called the police to report drug activity on her block 109 times between 2000 and 2002. After Angela had repeatedly alerted police to drug dealing, assault, and other crime, that’s when her family became a target.  In retaliation for reporting crime to police, the Dawsons endured repeated vandalism of their home, and then on October 3, 2002, an arsonist threw a molotov cocktail through a window of the Dawson home. A neighbor, Darrell L. Brooks was suspected of committing that crime, but despite the man (21) being on probation for car theft, reports indicate that the probation officer assigned to him never contacted him even when Brooks failed to contact his PO.

Just thirteen days later the convicted criminal kicked down the door of the Dawson home during the early morning hours while the family slept, doused the home with gasoline and set it ablaze. Carnell Dawson was able to jump out of a window to the house, but succumbed to his injuries days later. Angela and five of her six children perished in the fire, creating outcry over the magnitude of the crime that was only matched by the frustration many residents expressed who simply could not believe that city officials who were aware of the escalating violence, had been unable to protect the family. While authorities were strongly criticized by the public over the killing of an entire family by drug dealers, City officials defended their actions, saying an offer to relocate the family was refused.,

The charred home of the Dawson family after it was firebombed in retaliation for reporting crime to police…

Some community leaders argue that police and investigators often meet a wall of silence when crimes occur in the city, people are witnesses to shootings and killings, know exactly who did it, and won’t tell the police, fearing the kind of retaliation that happened to the Dawson Family. However, leaders believe the city should have been more proactive in insuring the family’s safety. Angela Dawson was seen by many as an “anti drug crusader,” a trait rarely possessed by citizens living in Baltimore and other urban settings around the country, and many following this tragic story believe that the police should have protected the family, despite their unwillingness to relocate.

Now, it was more obvious than ever that the Dawson killings showed how far Baltimore’s drug rings would go to retaliate against someone who interfered with their operations. A street code of silence has always been the order of the day in Baltimore, and an immature DVD called “stop snitching” is the anthem used by criminals in the city that was produced by a local Baltimore drug dealer. The high volume of crime and violence has created a long lasting culture of no cooperation by citizens with the police, and leaving fear within many communities while criminals operate with impunity.

After the Dawson murders the city and community leaders sought to redevelop the Oliver community, and spent a $1 million dollars to rebuild the structure that was once the Dawson Family home. Erected in its place out of tragedy rose something positive. The Dawson Safe Haven offers a program where kids, mostly from poor homes, could come after school for a snack, to play games, do home work, and other activities designed to protect the kids in Oliver, from the pervasive culture of drugs and violence. The program is a benchmark for the community, honoring the memory of a senseless tragedy while protecting young children, ironically in the same manner that Angela Dawson sought for her kids.

The Dawson Safe Haven Community Center, erected on the site where a firebomb charred a home killing the entire family, in the Oliver section of East Baltimore…

While the charred smell from a burnt building no longer stings the air, echoes of the Dawson family attack still linger, as the Oliver Community and other sections of Baltimore City continue to struggle with the problems of drugs, and violence. Yet, the brazen and heartless nature of the crime that snuffed out the Dawsons, is one of the saddest stories a city could ever tell. After rigorous efforts to rid her street with drugs and violence, constant dispute and retaliation from criminals, the story ends with Mrs. Dawson and five of her youngest children (ages 9-14), burning to death in an engulfed bedroom, and a young man from down the street in jail.

In Baltimore the Oliver Community is one of America’s most dangerous neighborhoods in one of the country’s most violent cities. People are use to the makeshift memorials marking sidewalks where their sons and daughters fell after meeting a violent end. Gun violence as the result of drugs have emptied many bedrooms, but most can’t ever recall an entire household, with five children being wiped out at once.

The neighborhood where the Dawsons lived is known as the badlands. More than half of the row houses are boarded, and the streets are now held down by young teenagers in puffy coats watching over their shoulders as they move through the community. Despite the eerie feeling lingering around the block, this story made even the most hardened and toughest of men tear up after the Dawson family home was firebombed. There is still positive change that can be seen though, as city and state agencies have established programs in Oliver to combat the proliferation of drugs. Baltimore is the most violent of the nation’s 20 largest cities.

The city has made strides fighting crimes, in one of the largest urban communities with one of the highest per capita rates of intravenous drug use. Residents who remember Angela Dawson say she was a lively person and a great mother, who would often be seen playing ball in the streets with her boys, and shooing away drug dealers from around her children. People in Oliver say they will not be intimidated by what happened to the Dawson family, and police have vowed to crack down on offenders who intimidate citizens, but reality is different. Oliver remains a poor community struggling to emerge from its dark past, and using the Dawson Safe Haven Center as a guiding light of hope. After 15 years, the bitterness and sadness is still felt within the community, and can visibly be seen when residents walk by, or drop their children off at the center.

Not long ago the sounds of the Dawson children playing in the streets were echoed on the block. Today there are still sounds of children playing, but they’re kids safely snuggled inside a building and on the grounds where the previous occupants were martyrs, seemingly to save the lives of countless other children. Their names are fresh in the minds of people who had kids that played with the Dawson children, and while they are all gone now, they will forever be remembered in this senseless tragedy by a community still struggling to exist. In their memory!

The People’s Champion Blog

I’m Journalist and Crime Blogger David B. Adams

When 19=year-old Kenneka Jenkins got permission to borrow her mothers car to celebrate her girl friend’s birthday, it was suppose to be a night of fun filled partying as the youth settled in at a Chicago area hotel. A volume of video clips shared from party goers cellphones, depict an atmosphere of loud music, drinking, and marijuana usage. It’s a typical teen party, but many question why the party was being held at a hotel? Additionally, Kenneka and many of the females seen at the event were dressed wearing half shirts with an excessive amount of cleavage being displayed. Still the scene is reminiscent of a typical modern teen party.

But something happened that hasn’t fully been brought out into the open. Some how young Kenneka became separated from her best friend at the party, was allegedly declared missing (that’s what they told the teen’s mother at least), and was later subsequently found dead inside a large walk in freezer at the hotel where the party was being held. The limited facts about this tragic case have been confusing and contradicting to say the least. This has caused a backlash from the public towards Kenneka’s so called best friend Monifa, whose birthday party was being held.

Also, a Facebook live video which has gone viral:

Is a very disturbing video, because sound analyse have produced edited excerpts from the footage that seem to suggest that young Kenneka may have been raped, and that the other three females captured in the video were present during the suspected sexual assault. In the edited audio evidence produced by independent sound technicians, one of the young women at the party appears to have said “they are stupid for raping her.” In another portion of the clip, technicians highlight a part of the sound that offers apparent moaning, a female voice in what sounds like a subtle utterance pleading for help. Precisely at that moment someone turns up the music, seeming to drown out the sounds in the background.

You decide for yourself if there is any credibility to the alleged rape scenario by listening to the edited and enhanced audio done on the video from the hotel room that I have obtained from the “Lions Ground” podcast:

In addition to the rape allegation, another plausible version of what may have happened is starting to gain traction on social media. Sources close to this case are saying that Kenneka’s friend Monifa may have received $200 dollars for a birthday sex romp with some of the males attending the party, and that Kenneka was supposedly have been offered up for sex with one of the guys. Apparently, Kenneka wasn’t a willing participant in the sex part of the partying. The video depicts Monifa telling Kenneka that she needs to relax and have a good time, with Kenneka responding “I am having a good time.” However, too often young people fall prey to violence and other negative situations due to peer pressure, and simply making bad decisions under the influence of alcohol and or drugs.

If this young women was in fact raped while others were present, they are all subject to potential criminal charges, in what would be perhaps an extremely disturbing case resulting in the death of their supposed friend. While the million dollar question remains as how did this teen end up dead in a freezer, when she was supposed to be celebrating her best friend’s birthday?

Moreover, Its highly suspect that this teen who was described by people who were there as being completely inebriated to the point that she could barely walk, some how became separated from her friends. This where the outrage comes from, because females say that as a culture, when they go out they have each others back to avoid these kind of situations. The fact that Kenneka remained missing, and her friend Monifa was at home on Facebook doesn’t settle well with most following this horrible story.

The onslaught of fighting, name calling, and finger pointing that has exacerbated within social media doesn’t serve this teen’s case any good what so ever. Those who were there should promptly speak with police officials to aid in determining what happened to this young women. I am troubled by the limited mindset of partying at a hotel by attractive young women. Even int the most rural towns across this country, when women show up at hotel parties dressed in provocative attire, while they may have no intention to indulge in sex, it often sends a  strong message to males who interpret it as an invitation for sex.

Its a disturbing story that needs an intense public exposure to get to the bottom of what happened on that night that led to Kenneka Jenkins’ tragic ending…

To Be Continued…

The Peoples Champion

I’m Crime Blogger David B. Adams

This coming Christmas holiday season will mark the 7th anniversary of Phylicia Barnes’ disappearance from a West Baltimore apartment where she was staying with so called family. I refer to them in that manner because the honors kid’s mother can’t stomach any reference depicting Kelly and Deena as her daughter’s sisters. In countless conversations with Janice Mustafa (Phylicia’s mother), she made it clear that the daughters of her child’s father were nothing more than mere half-siblings. “No sister would allow their younger sibling to be exposed to the kinds of things they allowed Phylicia to be involved in. My daughter was a flower,” Janice told media sources.

Now in the aftermath of her tragic killing, justice eludes her family as the person{s} responsible for her murder have never been caught. They roam the streets of Baltimore now, holding tight to their secret, their involvement, and their street code of honor to never snitch. To them her life was meaningless, they used this poor “naive” child as a pond in their sick twisted lust for a grotesque and queer saturnalia with adult males and females, while the Barnes kid was seemingly a welcomed addition to a culture of festive revelry with alcohol, drugs, nudity, and sex.

While the headlines of her tragic story and many of the details that played out in the media, courts, and podcast, are just too sensational to conclude definitively how this could happen to such a promising little girl, there are many questions regarding the Phylicia Barnes killing that persist. Who killed Phylicia isn’t the preponderant interrogatory for many following her case, but rather why would any one want to harm such a charismatic child, or even more critically it should be explored, how two adult female relatives failed so miserably in guiding and protecting Phylicia. To even began to comprehend exactly what happened, you must first digest some of the hard facts I’ve outline in a volume of blog articles here on TPC. Phylicia was left at the apartment on only one occasion according to the older Barnes females, and it has always seemed coincidental that the child disappeared on that day.

The older Barnes females explained during a national “Peas in Their Pods” broadcast that they took turns bringing Phylicia to work each day she was staying in Baltimore. Which could indicate at the very least, they knew leaving the child alone in that apartment could be a potential problem, because of the volume of males that frequented the apartment, and the freakish sexual culture that had allegedly been occurring during previous visits she made at that west Baltimore residence. But something happened, which caused the child to be left alone that fateful day, allegedly after another night of partying, drinking, and probably drug usage. The activities that allegedly occurred the previous night have always been problematic for many followers of this heartbreaking story, because some believe the child may already have been dead prior to her sister going to work on December 28, 2010.

What happened that altered the routine of taking young Phylicia to work everyday? Was she left alone intentionally to be put into harms way? Why would anyone want to harm her? Was it because of her beauty that degenerated relationships among the females and caused her elder siblings to begrudge Phylicia? Was it her intelligent or perhaps her proper speaking and prowess in articulating? Or perhaps it was her witty and out going character that made her the center of attention in most social settings, and so alluring to the gang of adult males who frequented her half-siblings apartment? Certainly there must be some rationalization to explain what happened to this child. None the less, these are the prevailing and unanswered questions that linger regarding the tragic ending of young Phylicia Barnes’ life.

In the nearly seven years since her murder many followers still believe there almost certainly may have been some degree of complicity on the part of the older half-siblings, either directly or indirectly through neglect, when you consider many of the very questionable circumstances leading up to, and on the day that the child went missing. The fact that the only day that Phylicia is left alone she goes missing without a trace isn’t mere coincidence, and continues to be a troubling fact in the case. Some argue, that if the rumors are accurate regarding Michael and Deena’s breakup being a direct result of him having cheated on her with a female friend, coupled with her court testimony of having observed Michael attempt to touch Phylicia in her private area, then the predominant inquisition in this entire case has to be why on earth would Deena leave this vulnerable child alone at home while he still had a key to her apartment?

Phylicia’s older half sibling Bryan Barnes told TPC in an interview that Phylicia was the life of the party when she was around. Michael’s apparent attraction to Phylicia probably didn’t go unnoticed by Deena, and it may be plausible for many to conclude that she dangled Phylicia as a lure to entice Michael and his relatives to deflower her prissy little half-sibling, in a fit of anger, jealousy, enviousness that may have been fueled by the use of alcohol, drugs, nudity, and sex games as a pretext to perhaps contrive a devious sexual encounter or orgy with her purported ex-boyfriend, his cousins and Phylicia. Why else would she keep a video of herself, Michael, his cousin, his younger brother, and Phylicia streaking nude in a nearby school playground on her cellphone, months after the child had gone missing?

The video was probably preserved for the purpose of depicting the child in a negative light just in case she decided to blow the whistle on what they had exposed her to while staying in Baltimore. Perhaps the result of a sickening thought process, that Phylicia’s willing participation some how justifies the perversion they exposed the her to, but at the very least it delineates the mindset of both Dena and Michael, who knew the cops were actively conducting an investigation into Phylicia’ whereabouts. They were either ignorant to what possession of the video would implicate, or they were keenly crafting a scenario that would deflect their responsibility as adults involved in this case, to orchestrate a perception of Phylicia being a wild kid who probably got what she deserved for indulging in such activity.

The lies that were told during the initial investigation is what drew the attention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which led to the discovery of the nude video on both Michael and Deena’s cellphones after warrants were issued, but by then it was too late. The killer(s) had plenty of time to cover up what happened. Deena used her “trump” card by contacting her uncle, a Baltimore City Police field supervisor, who showed up at her apartment after Phylicia disappeared. During that time period, the false narrative of Phylicia having simply stepped out to get something to eat was born, and gave the killer(s) ample time to cleanup.

It wasn’t until nearly a week later when Phylicia missed her flight back home that her case began to be taken seriously by Baltimore Police. The public searches for the child proved to be cold as hundreds of law enforcement officers combed local landmarks looking for Phylicia, and found nothing. Its safe to assume that the lies told to authorities were a deliberate act to stumble police efforts to find the missing child, while strong evidence suggest that Phylicia’s whereabouts were known to the Johnson click. A girlfriend of a Johnson relative who was also one of the initial persons interviewed by police upon Phylicia’s disappearance, made a tweet “its trapped at the dam. don’t pull the lever,” a month after she disappeared.

The tweet has always been significant because the child’s body was found near the Conowingo Dam in the Susquehanna River in Northern Maryland. The tweet was made months prior to her body being found, and raised suspicion that the girlfriend had advanced knowledge of Phylicia’s whereabouts, because of her close relationship with one of the Johnson cousins that frequented Deena’s apartment where Phylicia had been staying. It doesn’t take rocket science to connect the dots related to the subject tweet, but the fact that investigators nor the prosecutor’s office could utilize such discovery is simply unacceptable. Not only that, there is potentially strong evidence within social media that suggest what might have happened, but the state and the cops bungled that also, and subsequently aloowing the child’s killer(s) to go free with impunity.

Moreover, misconduct by prosecutors in both of the two trials seemed to have been done so deliberately, because the actions were so blatant that state attorneys should have known the trials would result in mistrials being declared, or either they were simply incompetent of the law. Withholding exculpatory evidence is a discovery violation which typically results in a mistrial. The state’s failure to play by the rules is precisely what has gotten Michael Johnson off the hook. The second trial ended with similar missteps when prosecutors failed to follow the judge’s instructions to redact portions of an audio tape to be played before the jury. The tape was played before the jury without the redaction ordered by the judge,  and causing another blatant fumble by the state that resulted in defense attorneys arguing that the state deliberately tanked its own case. The trial ended in another mistrial and nearly a month later, the sitting judge subsequently withdrew the mistrial, and declared a judgement of acquittal citing insufficient evidence.

The state filed a motion of appeal with the Maryland’s Court of Appeals, citing that the judge didn’t have authority to grant Johnson an acquittal after having initially declared a mistrial and dismissing the jury. The state contended in the appeal that the judge no longer held authority in the case, and Maryland’s Appeals Court agreed, authorizing Johnson to be retried in the Barnes killing for a third time. The court’s ruling has sparked an appeal by the defense to the U.S. Supreme Court in an effort to prohibit Johnson from going on trial a third time.

What does it all mean? Will this little girl and her family ever get justice? When the dust settles and the rumbling of legal arguments silence, much of the blame and responsibility should still fall at the doorstep of Deena Barnes, who allowed her younger sibling to participate in such sexual perversion with grown men, who suspected and more than likely were the culprits her took her life. Nearly seven years later there is still no justice for the family of this precious child who will forever be remembered as the purple flower that was found in a river. May justice prevail God speed.

The People’s Champion

I’m Crime Blogger David Adams

Their names are compiling as the new martyrs of America’s failing criminal justice system. A system that seems to only produce juries sympathetic to police when they panic, when they make mistakes, and when they kill in the name of their exaggerated and purported fear for their lives while encountering men of color during routine traffic stops.

It seems as if police have carte blanche during their decision making in the slightest appearance of impropriety of a black person stopped by police, and many of these incidents cops manipulate what actually happened, in an effort to conceal misconduct, policy violations, and even criminal acts by police who hold visceral hatred for black people. While police brass continue to argue and propagate the fundamental dangers of policing, the acquittal of Ofc. Geronimo Yanez in the fatal shooting of Philando Castile doesn’t necessarily past the smell test of a cop’s perceived apprehensive fear during a traffic stop.

In considering the rightness of the verdict, pay close attention to the transcript of the fatal encounter:

9:05:00 p.m. — Castile’s vehicle came to a complete stop.

9:05:15 – 9:05:22 p.m. — Yanez approached Castile’s car on the driver’s side.

9:05:22 – 9:05:38 p.m. — Yanez exchanged greetings with Castile and told him of the brake light problem.

9:05:33 p.m. — St. Anthony Police Officer Joseph Kauser, who had arrived as backup, approached Castile’s car on the passenger’s side.

9:05:38 p.m. — Yanez asked for Castile’s driver’s license and proof of insurance.

9:05:48 p.m. — Castile provided Yanez with his proof of insurance card.

9:05:49 – 9:05:52 p.m. — Yanez looked at Castile’s insurance information and then tucked the card in his pocket.

9:05:52 – 9:05:55 p.m. — Castile told Yanez: “Sir, I have to tell you that I do have a firearm on me.” Before Castile completed the sentence, Yanez interrupted and replied, “Okay” and placed his right hand on the holster of his gun.

9:05:55 – 9:06:02 p.m. — Yanez said “Okay, don’t reach for it, then.” Castile responded: “I’m… I’m … [inaudible] reaching…,” before being again interrupted by Yanez, who said “Don’t pull it out.” Castile responded, “I’m not pulling it out,” and Reynolds said, “He’s not pulling it out.”

Yanez screamed: “Don’t pull it out,” and pulled his gun with his right hand. Yanez fired seven shots in the direction of Castile in rapid succession. The seventh shot was fired at 9:06:02 p.m. Kauser did not touch or remove his gun.

9:06:03 – 9:06:04 p.m. — Reynolds yelled, “You just killed my boyfriend!”

9:06:04 – 9:06:05 p.m. — Castile moaned and said, “I wasn’t reaching for it.” These were his last words.

9:06:05 – 9:06:09 p.m. — Reynolds said “He wasn’t reaching for it.” Before she completed her sentence, Yanez screamed “Don’t pull it out!” Reynolds responded. “He wasn’t.” Yanez yelled, “Don’t move! F***!”

If you read carefully, you’ll note that it appears that the officer shot Castile for doing exactly what the officer told him to do. Yanez asked for Castile’s license. Castile told him that he had a gun, and the officer – rather than asking for his carry permit, or asking where the gun was, or asking to see Castile’s hands – just says, “Don’t reach for it then.” The mere presence of a firearm during a traffic stop doesn’t necessarily escalate the danger of the encounter, and the fact that Castile advised officer Yanez that he was armed shows that Castile was being forthright with Yanez and not evasive.

At that point, Castile is operating under two commands. Get his license, and don’t reach for his gun. As Castile reaches for his license (following the officer’s orders), and he assures him that he’s not reaching for the gun (also following the officer’s orders). The entire encounter, he assures Yanez that he’s following Yanez’s instructions. Also, Ofc. Kauser (back up officer) who was positioned on the passenger side of the vehicle was in a better visual vantage to see what Castile was doing with his hands. Kauser never touched his weapon, which should have been an indication that the purported presence of apprehensive fear was nonexistent, at least from that police officer’s vantage.

Despite Castile’s repeated assurances to officer Yanez that he was reaching for his firearm, coupled with Yanez’ poor vantage from the driver’s side, he fires 7 rounds in rapid succession into the vehicle striking Castile. Seated in the driver’s side was Castile’s girlfriend and in the back seat was their small child. Given the stated facts regarding the police encounter that struck down Philando Castile, the jury’s acquittal of Ofc. Yanez isn’t just a complete miscarriage of justice in this case, its simply incredulous that citizens in Minnesota couldn’t hold this officer accountable for his actions. To add insult to injury, Castile was only pulled over for a non functioning break light.

So how did Castile end up Dead? To answer that question, perhaps investigation into why some people become cops may open “Pandora’s Box” regarding the volume of black men being killed by police officers around the country. When you think about it, cops aren’t paid very well, and in most cases officers have to work a volume of overtime to make a decent living. They all can’t be crusaders of justice with ideal moral composes. Recent studies have discovered a volume of white supremacy groups infiltrating police agencies across the country, and the Castile case is just the tip of the ice.

Just a few weeks prior to the Castile verdict, Tulsa Oklahoma officer Betty Shelby was also acquitted for the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man name Terence Crutcher. The circumstances of the Crutcher shooting was even more bizarre than Castile’s. Crutcher whose vehicle broke down on the highway, was approached by Shelby, and Crutcher was captured on surveillance with his hands clearly in the air walking away from Shelby was fatally shot in the back.

Shelby reportedly revealed later on that she was fatigue and hungry during the fatal encounter, and professed to be in fear for her life. Many experts following the case have pointed out that Shelby (a white Officer) may have also suffered from the large black man syndrome that we have seen time and time again, but just like the Castile case, a seated jury acquitted the officer of wrong doing in the fatal incident that struck down the life of an unarmed Black man.

Perhaps breaking down on a highway may be a death sentence to men of color. Back in 2013 former FAMU football player Jonathan Ferrell was fatally shot by police in Charlotte North Carolina, after they responded to a home regarding a possible breaking and entering. Once officers were on the scene, they saw a man fitting the caller’s description of the potential subject who was running towards them. Officers used a stun gun unsuccessfully, and then another officer fired several shots fatally wounding Ferrell.

While police initial facts regarding the case seemed unclear (breaking & entering call), they eventually publicly admitted that Ferrell was probably running to the officers for assistance after having wrecked his car. Charlotte police found a vehicle that had been in a serious accident close to the scene, and believe Ferrell may have simply attempting to seek assistance from the officers. In his case its disturbing that the caller appeared to be a woman who simply didn’t know Ferrell after he knocked on her door also soliciting help from her, as the woman’s home was the closest to where he had crashed his car. A large black man at the door of a white woman some how evolved into police being dispatched for a burglary. This was simply incredible.

Furthermore, if the disturbing pattern of police killing black men hasn’t quite sunk in yet, the case of Samuel Dubose has to grab your attention. Last year a University of Cincinnati police officer (Tensing) fattaly shot Dubose after pulling him over for not having a front license plate. While UC officers have an agreement with the city of Cincinnati which allows them jurisdiction in the surrounding communities just off campus, there had been growing concern regarding UC cops activities of policing off campus in the recent past prior to the Dubose killing.

The shooting was caught on the officer’s body camera and went viral on the internet. Tensing and his partner’s version of the shooting strongly contrasted what was captured on his own body cam. Some of the footage even captured a police supervisor advising Tensing to limit his comment until he speaks with his union representative. In fact, the supervisors comments was probably sound advice, because the police cam footage revealed that the pair of officers had in fact lied in their reports regarding what had actually happened. Tensing file reports claiming that Dubose tried to run him over with his car, but the video footage clearly depicted Tensing at the side of the vehicle when he fired shots into the car fatally wounding Dubose.

These are just a few of the troubling and disturbing cases of police killing black motorist during encounters with police, and while some in America seem to be entangled in deliberations over the guilt or innocence of police in many of these cases, their is no confusion within the black community regarding what’s really happening. There has been a long standing antiquity within racist America that has led to the slaughter of countless black people as an acceptable cultural practice, and what we are experiencing now is simply a reemergence for a propensity to kill black people of epidemic proportions.

“After they are finish with us, they are coming for you. You could be next.”  — Valerie Castile

The People’s Champion

I’m Crime Blogger David Adams

In all the years that I have spent my own time investigating cold murder cases, stories about missing kids, and fighting for human rights for people, many of which I didn’t even know from around this nation, I never actually had time to prepare myself for the eventful time that tragedy would strike a person within my very own family. My work as a crime blogger is well documented within the hundreds of articles I’ve composed over the years, literally acting as a “gate keeper” for society. A volunteer role I’ve willingly accepted to bring awareness to the horrors of heinous crimes committed everyday in our country. Admittedly, the details of this article is perhaps the most painful that I have the regretful duty to report.

On November 21, 2016 the Baltimore police were summoned to the 1700 block of Appleton street in the Easterwood neighborhood of West Baltimore City to conduct a welfare check on the residence where Tiffany Ruffin (cousin) resided with her husband Charles and there small children M’yla (7) and Oryanna (5). Details of what actually transpired when cops made entry into the home are sketchy, as family members have reported a variety of accounts. What is certain, is that the children were unharmed, but their mother was found deceased in an upstairs bedroom. Later on police identified 48-year-old Charles Ruffin (husband) as a potential suspect in what was preliminarily described by the primary police officials at the crime scene, as a homicide from blunt force trauma.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that she may have expired at least 24 hours prior to police discovering her deceased. Those who knew Tiffany Ruffin know that she wasn’t a violent person, and any dispute she may have encountered could easily have been resolved non violently. The manner in which she was murdered was perhaps the most brutal fashion in which a female was murdered that I can recall since I began writing about the killing of Channel Petro-Nixon back in 2006, whose dismembered body was discovered tossed out in a garbage bag, along side other trash on a Brooklyn New York street corner.

When you consider the effort required to beat someone to death, it essentially sends a haunting reality to those who knew her, about the kind of person she was actually married to. No regard for human life, his wife, their children, or even for his own future well being. She was essentially married to a monster, and a basic search of public records will reveal that he in fact had a horrendous record, was an apparent psychopath, and a person with a severe propensity for violence:

Maryland State Public Judicial Search Records

Charles Haywood Ruffin

1991 – Battery, Resisting Arrest,  found guilty of resisting arrest

1994 – Battery, stet docket (inactive)

1996 – Battery, nolle prosequi

1996 – Gun on On Person, found guilty

1997 – Attempted First & Second Degree Murder,  Assault 1st & 2nd Degree, Deadly weapon Intent-to Injure, nolle prosequi (dropped)

1997 – 2 Counts Rape 1st & 2nd Degree, 2 Counts Assault With Intent To Rape,  2 Counts Sex offense 3rd & 4th Degree, Assault 1st & 2nd Degree, (only found guilty of 1st Degree Rape/Use Of Physical Force)

1997 – 2 Counts of False Imprisonment, 1st & 2nd Degree Assault, nolle prosiqui (dropped)

1997 –  3 Counts of Child Abuse, Perverted Practice, Sodomy General, 2 Counts of Sex Offense in 2nd Degree, Assault 1st & 2nd Degree, found guilty

2013 – Failure to Register as Sex offender, Providing False Information, found guilty

These are just a portion of the documented criminal records & history of this absolute vile monster who brutally murdered his own wife, while leaving their beautiful daughters without benefit of either parent the rest of their lives.

There has been tremendous outpouring from the public, especially from the professionals she worked with for many years. Some are in shock and readily admit that they were completely unaware of the domestic violence that Tiffany may have been exposed to. One co-worker described her as a “person who could light up your entire world, a light in a dark world.” she said of Tiffany. On her job she was the first person her co-workers would see as they start their day, and many have described how devastating they are that she will no longer be there to greet them in the morning. The expressions from those who knew her continue to come every day, along with many tears that reveal the depth of pain that is continuing to impact so many within and outside of her family.

In the midst of so much hurt and pain, there are still those within the public and within her own family, who question her personal judgement regarding her marriage to such a violent human being. Despite his extensive background, Tiffany wasn’t completely aware of his past until well into their relationship. She was introduced to Charles Ruffin via his mother, a pastor of a local Baltimore Church she attended. Her dedication as a Christian caused her to have forgiveness, compassion, understanding, and faith which are all fundamental principals of Christianity. Besides, Charles didn’t exhibit violent behavior in those years they were developing a family.

In 2013 when their oldest daughter was just 4-years-old, an arrest warrant was issued for Charles’ arrest for failing to register as a sex offender as required by law, and for providing false information to authorities who would monitor his movement and whereabouts. Tiffany must have learned the details of his incarceration in that instance, as family recall her worrying about his pending disposition and eventual release from incarceration. Barring that incident, Tiffany apparently had no knowledge of his extensive criminal past. her trust in him, and willingness to forgive may have been the catalyst for her demise.

Charles’ mother apparently never informed Tiffany of her son’s violent and perverted past, a fact in her tragic story that has simply angered members of her family. Charles served 13 years in prison for his conviction in a 1997 case that resulted in the Special Weapons And Tactical (S.W.A.T.) unit of the Baltimore police, descending upon a Park Heights neighborhood home where Charles lived with a former girlfriend and her daughter. Charles was accused of raping her minor daughter, and when she confronted him Charles tied up both her and her minor daughter inside a closet. He was going back and force cutting and stabbing the females, while the police were outside negotiating for him to surrender. These are the kinds of details about Charles Ruffin’s character that Tiffany was completely unaware of.

One follower of  the CBS Baltimore news outlet asked a rhetorical question stating, “Why in the world would anyone want to be married to a sex offender?” In her defense, Tiffany’s vulnerability isn’t unique pertaining to the risk of dating and marriage to men who physically abuse them, especially in a city like Baltimore. So many are quick to judge without knowledge of the psychological effect that domestic violence has on those who fail prey to physical abuse. The embarrassment that women feel often cause them to conceal the abuse for long periods of time. When children are in the home, some victims of domestic violence rustle with removing their kids from homes that have both parents, which is a desired scenario for most developing families.

Like all families I’m sure the Ruffins had their share of struggles. In fact its rumored that her husband committed adultery with prostitutes, and allegedly even had an affair with a female related to Tiffany. Described by his co-workers as creepy, he had even recently been charged with sexual harassment by a female co-worker:

Preparing to leave a marriage in which children are involved is extremely tough, but family members are reporting that Tiffany had enough of her husbands infidelity and stated that she wanted a divorce. This is when the dark side of Charles began to reveal its ugly head. The abuse started and before she could get out and stay out, it was too late. Unwilling to accept that their marriage had run its course, he resorted to violence and took the life of an extremely kind, warm heart, and special person. A very heart breaking story of a mother and sister who didn’t deserve to die so brutally, so cruel, and at the hands of some who she entrusted her love to.

The fact that a horrific tragedy like this could happen to Tiffany, a sweetheart of the family, confirms our long standing suspicion that a dark evil spirit encompasses the body of our family, and we pray for its immediate dismissal. My purpose for sharing her story to my readers are for two reasons. To bring awareness to the reality of domestic violence and the impact it has on survivors. Secondly, to solicit support for her two precious baby girls left in the wake of such a tragic incident. Pray for her daughters, her son, and our entire family. Rest now Tiffany, your work is done.

To Donate to the girl’s GoFundMe Campaign: Don’t Leave Them Behind

Source:

Baltimore Sun 

The People’s Champion

I’m Crime Blogger David Adams

It was exactly four years ago to the date that tragedy struck a Stone Mountain Georgia family, when a gunman’s bullet snuffed out the life of a precious daughter, a sister, and a dear friend to many, who affectionately called the pretty hundred pound teen “Honey.” She was Flora Malone’s youngest daughter, the baby girl, and a well liked kid who’s tragic murder drew mourners from around the world to help bring attention to youth violence.

Tens of thousands continue to follow her heartbreaking story with the hopes that authorities will find the cowards who shot this female in the back. The manner in which she died is a graphic and descriptive element of the case which has always bothered many. Primarily because Vanessa was the smallest and youngest person in the apartment when she was gunned down. She essentially posed the least threat among the individuals allegedly in the home that night. I’ll spare the redundant details related to the completely bizarre story that India Smith and Trevares Benford told police that night related to how Vanessa was killed. (readers can use the search function in the top right to search for other articles related to her case by typing Vanessa Honey Malone, or typing Georgia teen murder)

Rather, I’ll utilize this platform to expound on more relevant discourse pertaining to this homicide case. I’ll start by posing out some of the most obvious points of interest about why she was killed. The rumors spread around the community alleging that Vanessa was involved in “setting people up,” has no credibility. People within the community have offered this rationalization to Vanessa’s mother, but only supported such an allegation based on hearsay. “They heard this and they heard that.” Complete nonsense!

The allegations have the appearance of pure catty like behavior commonly associated with jealousy among females. While these allegations were made against Vanessa in her death, no one has ever emerged with definitive proof that she was involved in this kind of activity. There are those out there who want the public to believe that this petite hundred pound teen was a menace, that she was involved in crime, and deserved to die at the hands of violent thugs, in a brazen hail of gun fire for “poetic justice” sake. Naw, we must reject that.

I believe that the people who are spreading rumors of such a perspective seek to rationalize the killing of this beautiful child, and are in fact perhaps the very source from which such violence derived. Let’s face it, this is either pure conjecture, or those spewing such dialogue have inside knowledge about the case, and even potentially know exactly who the actual killer(s) are. Otherwise, the most poignant question has to be, “Ho do you know this?” I’ll be willing to bet that the people who have communicated these allegations against Vanessa to her mother, don’t know anything, and are just running their mouths repeating rumors that they heard within the community. Yet, we must acknowledge the fact that some one wanted her dead.

Flora Malone told TPC that her daughter was very respectful about notifying people that she would be stopping by their home. This certainly is a plausible trait of her character considering all we have learned about her, because southern folk just simply have manners like that. You don’t just show up at people’s home in the south. Its a matter of respect. So, with that being said India and Travares were probably completely aware that Vanessa would be coming by their house that night, and the fact that alleged gunman were there seemingly awaiting her arrival, doesn’t take rocket science to figure out. The fact that Vanessa unfortunately and allegedly walked in on a home invasion in progress, has always been just to convenient for most rational and logical thinking people who have followed her story.

Not just that though, Vanessa having been shot in the back is also very telling in itself. They meant to kill her, to silence her, probably because she knew her killers, which raises even more suspicion upon the others that were there that night, and the completely unbelievable story they told the authorities. Those who have been closely following this case, already know that questions continue to linger pertaining to the third adult allegedly in the apartment when the so called home invasion occurred. This “Mercy” character left the scene of a violent crime, a homicide, and held up in a neighboring apartment while the murder investigation took place.

I don’t how most people or even how the cops are thinking about that element of the case, but its ground zero for me. The fact that he was allegedly hiding to avoid an arrest for an unrelated gun charge makes the alert bells in my head sound even louder, because he apparently is a person with a propensity for violence. That’s why the cops really needed to talk to “Mercy” that night. Hell, we aren’t even sure if the cops have been briefed regarding him being held up in the upstairs apartment, or if they have interviewed the people who lived there.

Most followers of TPC Blog who have read about Vanessa’s murder are already aware of my curiosity about exactly where “Mercy” was at in the apartment during the home invasion and subsequent shooting that killed young Vanessa. Those details are crucial to the investigation. We already know that India and Travares were allegedly tied up in the bathtub, but we need to know exactly where “Mercy’s” punk @ss was (excuse the colloquialism, but enough is enough with this nonsense). Did the invaders tie him up also? Was he held at gun point? What? Why would he retreat to a neighboring apartment to hide out when I’m sure he had plenty of time to leave the area altogether prior to police arrival? These are questions that need to be answered if anybody is ever going to find out who committed this heinous crime.

Moreover, who are the tenants in the apartment where “Mercy” was hiding out at? What kind of people allows someone to hide in their home while an active homicide investigation is taking place in the apartment directly downstairs? Who does that? Call me a snitch, a rat, or what ever the hell you want. Even if I’m afraid of “Mercy” or was being held at gunpoint, I’m running out of their. Shoot me in the back, because the volume of cops down their would have been sufficient help for me. I would have been running and screaming for my life like a little *itch. The police would have helped. This didn’t happen, and the people who allowed “Mercy” hide may be complicit to murder and should be held accountable.

At the very least charges for hindering a police investigation should be in order, because the actions of the neighboring tenant may have allowed for the discarding of potential forensic evidence pertinent to the case. “Mercy” was taken into custody two days later on the outstanding warrant for an unrelated handgun charge. I’m not saying “Mercy” was involved in Vanessa’s murder, but if he was, he had sufficient time to discard of his clothing he war that night. There may have been blood splatter or other DNA evidence that could link him to Vanessa’s killing. I’m just saying, when people run they typically have something to hind, and in this case “Mercy” may have utilized the help of some very despicable people to allude being pinched for a violent crime that took Vanessa from this world.

Also, the fact that “Mercy” wasn’t available to police until days later, dashed all hopes of getting a good Gun Shot Residue (GSR) test on him. If he was the actual shooter, during the time he eluded the police, he could have taken measures to hinder the authorities ability to determine whether he shot a weapon the night Vanessa died. I ‘m wondering if the cops even took a GSR test on Travarese or India as well. To do so would have been standard procedure in most police agencies because of the serious nature of the crime. Then again, we are talking about the Dekalb County Police department. I’ll touch on that momentarily.

While a plethora of unanswered questions remain regarding “Mercy,” he is not the only person of interest the police could have zeroed in on. The “low life” individual I’ll refer to as the “weed man,” who handed over Vanessa’s purse to her mother days after she was murdered should have been brought in for questioning as well. How did this individual even obtain possession of her purse in the first place? According to Flora Malone the purse contained extremely personal items that she says her daughter would have never left with anyone, especially a person the likes of him. Ms. Malone did admit during an interview with TPC that she had a prejudicial opinion of the man’s character that stems from a previous incident, when his girlfriend (a much older woman than Vanessa) physically attacked Vanessa about a year prior to her murder.

Her opinion of him is a natural reaction I’m sure any parent would have related to their child, but the mother had cause to suspect his involvement, solely on the fact that he showed up at her doorsteps with her murdered daughter’s pocketbook days after her death. A respectable person would have turned it over to the family or the authorities the same night of the shooting, but no, not this dirt bag. He waits until the cops are all gone to bring the purse to the girl’s family. Ms. Malone would be the first to tell you that her daughter was no angel, but that she was a very good person, and certainly didn’t deserve to die in such a violent manner. In most murder cases, people who are in possession of such sensitive items belonging to the victim, typically are brought in for questioning. That also hasn’t occurred.

Since the gunman were allegedly masked, if you even believe that nonsense, “the weed man” could actually have been one of the invaders, because if Vanessa had her purse with her at the time she left the house to go over there, it more than likely would have been somewhere near the crime scene after she was shot. So, again its crucial for the police investigation to determine the actual path of how that pocketbook of a murder victim got back to her family. The police’s failure to connect the dots related to such rudimentary fact finding is simply incredulous.

Moreover, the police haven’t been transparent with the family related to Vanessa’s murder. Its understandable for the authorities to withhold certain information relevant to capturing her killers to avoid compromising the investigation, but not releasing her autopsy report and other information that’s typically public record raises suspicion regarding how the cops are handling this particular case. The family has been advised to file FOA (Freedom of Information Act) documents to obtain her autopsy report and other relevant information. This aspect of the case is highly controversial, something Dekalb County Police are certainly familiar with.

Many people from my generation and others who remember, know all to well the history of Dekalb County Police. In the early 1980’s the agency failed to capture the person(s) responsible for the serial murders of young black children, now infamously known as the “Atlanta Child Murders.” Convicted killer Wayne Williams was ultimately held responsible for the killings, but what the public doesn’t know is he was never actually convicted of killing any of the children connected to that case.

During the spree of killings two adults victims were included or attributed to the serial murders. Prosecutors successfully obtained a conviction of Wayne Williams, based on very shady carpet fiber evidence in the prosecution case for one of the adult victims. Once he was convicted, the prosecutor’s office mad the determination that Williams was in fact the serial killer in the “Atlanta Child Murders” and closed all of the other cases. Essentially insuring that the real killer(s) would never actually be determined. Dekalb County Police has always been an extremely bizarre police agency that only a few have forgotten.

We must never let them forget Flora Malone’s beautiful and precious daughter Vanessa “Honey” Malone. Call them today and demand for justice in the killing of this beautiful child, and for the swift prosecution of anyone who may have been in involved in her actual killing or who may otherwise have assisted the murderers. Four years later we still are hopeful that justice will prevail. It won’t long now baby girl, just rest now. #justice4honey.

The People’s Champion

I’m Crime Blogger David Adams

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