Death of Chanel Petro-Nixon
Chanel Petro-Nixon was an American teenager who was strangled to death in
Chanel Petro-Nixon | |
---|---|
Born | August 4, 1989 |
Died | June 18, 2006 (age 16) strangulation |
Body discovered | June 22, 2006 |
Nationality | American |
Known for | being a missing person and murder victim |
Parents |
|
Life
Chanel Petro-Nixon was born in mid-1989 and lived in the
Death
On Sunday, June 18, 2006, Petro-Nixon left her family's home, telling them she was walking to the Applebee's restaurant near New York Avenue and Fulton Street, to meet a friend. She never returned home.
Four days later, her body was discovered in a
Reaction
Following his daughter's murder, Anthony Garvin was quoted as saying: "I don't trust anybody [...] That person shaking your hand, smiling in your face, could be the one who did this."
Petro-Nixon's parents made a plea to the public requesting help finding her killer. They also visited the site where she was found.[5]
On July 7, 2006, the Brooklyn Branch of the
Investigation
Police quickly appealed to the public for information, offering an initial reward of $12,000 for useful information.[7]
At a later date, the reward amount was increased, ultimately reaching $38,000.
The New York City Police Department interviewed all of Petro-Nixon's friends and collected hundreds of tips.
An article in the New York Daily News focused on Petro-Nixon's white sneakers, with the hope that someone would have recognized her shoes.[9]
Cops hope a photo of 16-year-old Chanel Petro-Nixon's white and pink retro jordan sneakers will jog a witness' memory and help investigators track down the Brooklyn girl's killer.[9]
David Stein, head of the detective squad working the case, was quoted as saying, "You see a case like this maybe once in a career."[10]
Arrest
In June 2016, Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson announced that former Crown Heights resident Veron Primus had been formally charged with Petro-Nixon's murder. Primus had been a school friend of Petro-Nixon's and it was later found that he was the friend she was meeting at Applebee's on the day she disappeared. It was reported that he was considered a suspect from day one, but there had not been enough evidence to lead to an arrest.
Some years after Petro-Nixon's murder, Primus had also served time in prison for violating a
As of 2024[update], Primus is imprisoned in St. Vincent, where he was convicted and sentenced to 34 years imprisonment for the unrelated murder of a 33-year-old estate agent named Sharleen Greaves.[11] Thompson stated that he wished for Primus to be returned to the United States and stand trial for Petro-Nixon's murder.[12]
Aftermath
Murder statistics compiled by the NYPD and obtained by the New York Daily News mentioned Petro-Nixon.[13] Another murder which occurred on the same day as Petro-Nixon's was mentioned, and there was speculation that both murders may be related.[14] New York Daily News columnist Errol Louis, who tried to keep the story 'alive' in the press,[15] reported that there was an upward spike in murder in Crown Heights by 122%, and that community meetings were being held by Assemblyman Karim Camara.[16] Petro-Nixon's mother was quoted in a New York Times story, related to the case: "We try our best to keep it alive." And, "We really don't want her death to be in vain".[17]
In January 2007, CNN aired a video featuring Nancy Grace discussing unsolved murders, including Petro-Nixon's.[18]
As of 24 June 2007[update], the case had still not been solved. There were no
Petro-Nixon's mother, Lucita, had been scheduled to receive a "survivor's" award in January 2008.[22] More than two years had passed and there had been no further revelations in Petro-Nixon's murder.
On June 19, 2010, a rally, march, and prayer vigil were held in honor of Petro-Nixon. The blog site mentioning this rally also stated that as of that late date no further evidence of her murder had been provided.[23]
A website was created in memory of Petro-Nixon as well as to reach out to the public to obtain information or help in locating her murderer.[24]
See also
- List of solved missing person cases
- List of unsolved murders
References
- ^ "Unknown Chanel Petro-Nixon Killer". America's Most Wanted. June 18, 2006. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
- ^ Our Time Press
- ^ a b Peyser, Andrea (June 18, 2007). "Year Of Tears For Slain Teen: 'Too Black' for City to Really Care". The New York Post. Archived from the original on April 3, 2008. Retrieved 2007-11-13.
- ^ "Body found in bag ID'd as studious B'klyn girl". New York Daily News. June 24, 2006. Archived from the original on 2008-04-01. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
- ^ "Chanel's Parents: Get Her Murderer Visit B'klyn Site Where Daughter Found In Bag". New York Daily News. July 10, 2006. Archived from the original on 2008-04-01. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
- ^ "Urgent Request for Meeting". NAACP. July 7, 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-07-17. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
- ^ "Reward in Girl's Slay". New York Daily News. New York. July 28, 2006. Archived from the original on 2008-04-01. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
- ^ "Reward Grows For Info In B'klyn Teen Slay". New York Daily News. July 7, 2006. Archived from the original on 2008-04-01. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
- ^ a b Gendar, Alison (August 11, 2006). "Hoping Sneakers Track Killer. Cops show pic of slain B'klyn Girl's footwear; case to be on TV's 'Most Wanted'". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 2008-04-01. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
- ^ "It's Time To Speak Up". New York Daily News. October 10, 2006. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
- ^ "Murderer Veron Primus jailed for 34 years". December 20, 2022. Archived from the original on March 18, 2024.
- ^ Santore, John V. (16 June 2016). "Man Charged With 2006 Murder of Brooklyn Teen Chanel Petro-Nixon". Patch.com.
- ^ "Our War On Murder. NYPD Commish Kelly Tells Of New Crackdown On Killings In The City". New York Daily News. November 20, 2006. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
- ^ "COP GROUP ASKS IF SLAYS ARE TIED". New York Daily News. November 20, 2006. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
- ^ "Crime and Justice". Invision Power Board-Crime and Justice. U.S. July 5, 2006. Retrieved 2007-11-14.[permanent dead link]
- ^ E. Louis (November 24, 2006). "It's Time To Tame The Beast. Chanel's Killer is still free. There's a spike in Murder. Now, Crown Heights must speak up". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
- ^ Mascia, Jennifer (November 28, 2006). "The Neediest Cases; After a Daughter's Death, Seeking Answers and the Strength to Go On". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
- ^ Grace, Nancy (January 1, 2007). ""Murder of Brooklyn 16-year-old still Unsolved" (NOTE: Rush transcript notice)". CNN. Retrieved 2007-11-13.
- ^ Louis, Errol (June 24, 2007). "Follow every single lead: 'Runaways' may be murder victims. Cops & neighbors must step it up". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2007-11-13.
- ^ "Rev. Sharpton to Appeal to the Public to not forget two Black Women from Brooklyn: Chanel Petro-Nixon whose murder is unsolved, and Steph Henry who vanished last month". The National Action Network. June 23, 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-10-07. Retrieved 2007-11-13.
- ^ "Chanel Petro-Nixon Murdered". Websleuths. July 31, 2006. Retrieved 2007-11-13.
- ^ "Annual 'Survivors' Awards Benefit Gala". 4 Real Women International. May 17, 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-11-13.
- ^ "Rally and Remembrance for Chanel Petro-Nixon". Bed Stuy Blog. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2010-07-08.
- ^ "Help Find Chanel Killer". MySpace.com. Retrieved 2011-03-29.
Further reading
- Peyser, Andrea (July 29, 2006). "It's open season on young gals". New York Post. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved November 13, 2007.
- Boyce, Kelly (July 22, 2010). "Four Years Later, a Vigil Seeks Clues to a Teenager's Murder". The Brooklyn Ink. Archived from the original on August 6, 2010.
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External links
- Djere, Rex R. (August 1, 2006). "Honors Student Murdered. SaxTalk wants to help". SaxTalk. Archived from the original on August 5, 2006. Retrieved June 25, 2007.