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Family seeking justice for their loved one upset as suspect was transferred to Louisiana
FOX 26 Reporter Randy Wallace spoke with the family members about what happened and why they're so upset.
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - "People say I should get over it," said Michelle Johnson. "But you can't tell me I can get over it. If you've never lost a child, that pain never goes away."
March 3, 2019. Michelle Johnson lost her only son, Kenneth Benjamin.
"It's a challenge for the family," said Benjamin's father Gary Johnson. "You can't replace a child. You can't replace the only son."
December 7 was a day Benjamin's loved ones had waited almost four years for.
His alleged killer, 19-year-old Rishaud West, would be in the 262nd Court to be sentenced by Judge Lori Chambers Gray.
"We were ready to finally face the person that murdered our loved one," Michelle Johnson said. "We were looking forward to that day of seeing our son's killer, looking him in the face. It was all set up for us to do at this time, and he's not there," said Gary Johnson.
That's right. Rishaud West was in a prison in Louisiana. He's one of almost a thousand inmates transferred to other facilities due to jail overcrowding here.
"The judge was very upset. Even the prosecutor was very upset, because neither one of them had been informed that he had been transferred out on Monday," said Michelle Johnson.
"I don't know who dropped the ball or why the ball got dropped," Gary Johnson said. "This is affecting our family, our time of getting justice, and getting full closure. It's delayed even longer, and it's frustrating."
"Our justice system has to get better," Michelle Johnson said. "We have to do better."
The sheriff's office tells it's now investigating to determine how and why this happened.