Houston parents whose sons were murdered seek justice, praying for the killers to be caught
HOUSTON - Some Houston parents hope you can help bring them a bit of peace this holiday season. They are moms and dads of kids who have been killed, and their killers haven't been brought to justice.
"Many days I wake up with nightmares," cries John Marsden, whose son Fabian Smith was shot and killed.
"Basically, you took everything that I had," adds Kwann Boyd through tears. Her son Avery Boyd was also murdered.
Unfortunately, these Houston parents know the heartbreak, all too well, of not only losing a child but having one taken at the hands of a killer.
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"One part of me is missing. I can't grow another part of my heart. It's gone forever," explains Alma Banks Brown, whose son Daniel Brown was murdered.
"The last time I saw my son was on Thanksgiving. He was 28, and he had brought his first girl home to meet us on Thanksgiving. (He was serious about her?) Yes," Boyd answers through sobs.
That was Thanksgiving of last year. Days later, on Dec. 1, 2022, Avery Boyd was robbed, shot, and killed in an apartment complex parking lot on Summer Street in West Houston. Friday will be one year since he was murdered.
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"It's horrible. It's horrible. You know everyone asks me, 'How are you going to feel on Avery's birthday? How are you going to feel on Christmas?' I feel awful every day. My sister doesn't have any kids. So Avery was the only child, grandchild, and niece or nephew. (So he was everybody's baby?) He was everybody's everything," Boyd says.
"It was raining when I got the call about my son. I was working, and I got the phone call that Fabian was shot. I just took off in the car," says Marsden.
Fabian Smith had already died by the time his dad made it to the hospital after the 22-year-old was shot on Buffalo Speedway at West Orem on Dec. 29, 2017.
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"They took his jewelry off of him. They took his money out of his pocket and left him there," the grieving father explains.
"My son was found off TC Jester and Pinemont in a wooded area. They had thrown his body there. He'd been shot," says Brown. In fact, a neighbor's camera caught not only the door of an apartment creaking to a close but less than ten seconds later, you hear the sounds of several gunshots.
It's the moment 35-year-old Daniel Brown was killed on Jan. 25, 2022. "He was shot six times," says his mom. Treyvon Tellis is charged with Brown's murder, but Alma Banks Brown believes more people are involved.
As she awaits the trial, Boyd and Marsden are still waiting for their sons' killers to be caught. Houston Police investigators released a picture of a silver or light-colored Hyundai with front-end damage that witnesses saw a gunman get out of the backseat before shooting Avery Boyd and robbing him.
The one thing these parents want is their sons back. Since they can't have that, they are seeking and praying for justice. "It's not right we can't get justice for our loved ones," cries Marsden.
If you have information about any of these murders, you're asked to call 713-222-TIPS (8477). Crimestoppers is offering at least $5,000. In Avery Boyd's case, there's a $25,000 reward if you can help lead police to his killer.