South Bureau Homicide Page #8

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the challenges and solutions

surrounding unsolved homicides.

LaWanda got involved

with the families,

she shared the grief, she

lost a child to homicide.

So she was able to share

her grief with other folks,

and that over the

years has really grown.

And so then I have

this little woman,

who come knocking on my

door one day,

"My name is LaWanda Hawkins."

She changed my life.

She's the veteran, she's the

OG that really started a lot

of what we see.

There's a period of time

when, in law enforcement,

and on the news beat or on TV,

where we called

cases "cold cases."

But when you really got

to thinkin' about it,

that was a term that

never should've been used.

And LaWanda was somebody

who reminded me of that.

- Who I feel I'm serving is

the family of the victim.

To bring them some

sense of justice.

But, by doing that, you

also serve the community

because you've taken a

murderer off the street.

- I'm a ticked off old lady

about what's happened

in my family.

And I know all of you are too.

First of all, I am the

sister of Nicky Thompson,

who was murdered, along

with his wife, Trudy.

And it took us 18

years to get to trial.

Before Nick and

Trudy were murdered,

our only son, Scott,

was also murdered.

He was murdered by somebody

that was out on bail

for killing somebody else.

And I was told at the

recent parole hearing,

"Mrs. Campbell, it no longer

matters about what this man

"did, it's whether he's

been good in prison."

Even though he premeditated

our son's murder,

strangled him, bloodied him up,

threw him out of an airplane

so the sharks would eat him.

No parent ever expects

to bury their own child.

No parent.

I wasn't prepared.

Everything I had lived

for at that juncture,

up to that point, was to

leave him in a better state

than I was left in.

But it didn't happen that way.

I always view murder

victims as lost souls.

And there are a lot of

loss souls that always are

circling in my mind.

And it's a struggle

that I deal with,

but it's a struggle that's

a good one in some respects

'cause we can, then it keeps

me focused on pushing forward.

We bond with a lot of

the families of victims

because we end up going

through a very traumatic event

with that family.

And it's very difficult

not to form a bond,

being there, notifying a

family of a loved one's death,

and then taking

and investigating that murder

and to try to bring some

closure to that family.

It's hard to avoid a

bond being created.

I am troubled

If not distressed

Perplexed but

Not in despair

I'm a vessel

Full of power

With a treasure

Hidden in me

I started in the

prison ministry.

I went to school to Long

Beach Bible College.

I earned my Associate's

Degree in Biblical Studies.

They had a program

there to go down to

East Lake Central Jail.

I was one a the first

ones to sign up.

When I signed up, I was

going down and ministering

to the young gang bangers.

I actually had to take

off my suit and tie,

and show them my tattoos,

let 'em know, look,

ya'll got the wrong person.

I didn't grow up in church.

This is me, this is

where I came from,

and I'm tryin' to help you.

And for the Christian

there is no greater joy

than to be in the

presence of one that loves

like no one else can love.

So today I'm not,

letting you know,

that I'm not going

to eulogize a funeral

but eulogize a

home-going celebration.

One gang member,

I'll never forget,

he was the one that had

tattoos all over his face,

all over his face, and in the

group he was the tough guy.

But when it was after,

when we had after-chapel,

he was one of the

ones that I was able,

he had called me

over in the corner,

and I was able to pray with him,

and as I prayed with him,

he just started crying.

And after that, it touched me,

where I knew that

was my calling.

It's not a day of regret,

but a day of rejoicing.

Today we come to remember

the life of Dora,

and reminisce over all

the special moments

that you had with her.

Leading the Crips to Christ,

leading the Bangers

to the Bible,

leading the Harlots to holiness,

those are the people

that I can minister to.

To get them closer to

God, to let them know that

they could do somethin'

different than what they're doin'.

You know sometimes God

will take people and

bring them with him to

bring others closer to him.

I'll say it again, sometimes

God will take people

to be with him, to bring

others closer to him.

On last Friday, this church

was full of gang members.

Out of, let's just say

50 people that was here,

at a funeral, that was a Friday,

the following Sunday,

only one came.

But he came to give

his life to the Lord.

I felt so good,

I, job well done.

And it only took one.

But it's, as it

go, more'll come.

My thing is, I teach

one and save one,

and I done my job.

Come on let's give the

Lord a hand a praise.

That's all it takes,

that's all it takes.

This home-going celebration

for Miss Dora.

As Shanita said, they

used to call her Doe-Doe.

I really need you guys to know,

that she's in a better place.

To the young men

and the young women,

don't get caught up

in the foolishness

out here in the streets.

I lost my brother, he

died, he got killed

and died in my arms.

There's so many things

that I went through,

so many things that my

family went through.

I didn't grow up in church,

neither did my family.

But when God saved me, I

went back and got my family

and baptized my mama, my

aunties and my little cousins.

But now as a family,

you guys gotta come

together spiritually

and help each other out.

- Yes, this is Sal.

Sure.

Where at?

Is the body still at the scene?

Okay, just driving

time, let me get ready.

All right, see you guys.

For a number of years here

during the Christmas season,

we've done a Christmas

tree, a tree decorating,

we've invited victims' families,

who've lost loved

ones through homicide.

This individual

right here is my son,

Brandon Vashon Blanton.

And I gotta say his whole name,

because he was more

than just a statistic.

The thing that I struggle with,

is I don't remember his voice.

What it is, it's a place

for them to begin to heal.

This person who took my

son's life, has not been found.

And I just pray,

because I have cancer.

I just really wish

that I live long enough

to where closure can be brought.

So could you please

help us, please.

Thank you.

Radio call, shooting,

right here in the alley.

Primary unit shows up,

they're driving southbound

they get run into the alley.

And the witnesses

drive into the alley,

see the taillights of the car,

they're not sure if it's

a suspect or victim,

they don't know.

Eventually they

approach the car,

find two people

shot inside the car.

So there's casings and

one flips out a the car.

RA respond, both of

them not responding

and pronounced

dead at the scene.

And I

hear in the background,

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