Robert Sandifer
Robert (Yummy) Sandifer | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | September 1, 1994 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | (aged 11)
Cause of death | Gunshot wounds |
Other names | "Yummy" |
Occupation(s) | Street gang member (Black Disciples) |
Criminal status | Deceased |
Criminal charge | Arson, armed robbery, drug possession |
Penalty | Probation |
Robert Sandifer (March 12, 1983
After committing murder, theft, and armed robbery, he was murdered by his own fellow gang members who feared Sandifer could become a “
Early life
Robert Sandifer was born in Chicago, Illinois, on March 12, 1983. Sandifer's mother, Lorina Sandifer, had over 30 arrests while prostituting,[7] many of which were drug-related. Sandifer's father, Robert Akins, was absent throughout Sandifer's life due to incarceration for a felony gun charge. Sandifer was physically abused from the time he was an infant.[6]
Before he was three years old, Sandifer was already known to the
In 1987, Sandifer and his siblings were removed from his mother's home by DCFS and were sent to live with their grandmother in the Roseland neighborhood of Chicago. His grandmother's residence contained as many as 19 children on some occasions. By most accounts, his grandmother's home was not much better than Sandifer's previous home.[8]
Sandifer, by the age of eight quit attending school and began to roam the streets stealing cars and breaking into houses. At the age of ten, Sandifer was arrested on charges of
In 1993, Sandifer and his siblings were removed from his grandmother's home and were sent to the Lawrence Hall
Murder of Shavon Dean
On August 28, 1994, Sandifer was ordered to do a favor for his gang. He opened fire several times with a 9-millimeter semiautomatic pistol, striking several youths. Sandifer quickly fled the scene. Among his victims was a 14-year-old girl, Shavon Dean, who was fatally hit by a stray bullet.[9]
Death
After the shooting, the police were looking for Sandifer, who was hiding with gang members in the neighborhood.[9] On August 31, 1994 while standing on a neighbor's porch after asking to call his grandmother asking for prayers as he was going to turn himself in,[10] Sandifer was met by brothers Cragg Hardaway and Derrick Hardaway, ages 16 and 14, who were both members of the Black Disciples street gang. Sandifer was told he was being taken to a safe location out of town and ordered into a waiting car.[9]
Instead, he was taken to a railroad underpass at East 108th Street and South Dauphin Avenue and told to get on his knees. While kneeling, Sandifer was shot twice in the back of the head by the two Hardaway brothers.[9] Sandifer's body was discovered by the Chicago Police Department, in the early morning hours of September 1, 1994.[11][12]
Around 400 people attended Sandifer's funeral, which was held at the Youth Center of the Church of God in Christ on Chicago's Northwest Side.[13]
The two Hardaway brothers were later convicted of Robert Sandifer's murder.[11][12] Derrick received a 45-year sentence and Cragg received a 60-year sentence. Derrick was released from prison in December 2016. Cragg was released from prison in December 2020.[14]
In popular media
- Yummy: the Last Days of a Southside Shorty, a graphic novel
See also
References
- ^ https://steemit.com/news/@intunejune/the-sad-chicago-story-of-yummy-sandifer
- ^ Long, Elizabeth Valk (September 19, 1994). "To Our Readers". Time. Archived from the original on January 22, 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
- ^ a b Gibbs, Nancy R.; Grace, Julie; Hull, Jon D. (September 19, 1994). "Murder in Miniature". Time. Archived from the original on April 28, 2007. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
- ^ a b Grace, Julie (September 12, 1994). "There Are No Children Here". Time. Archived from the original on January 22, 2008. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
- ^ Hewitt, Bill (September 19, 1994). "Death at an Early Age". People. pp. 52–54. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
- ^ a b Powers, Mike (Winter 1995). "Stop the Violence". Human Ecology Forum. 23 (1).
- ^ "Too Young to Kill, Too Young to Die – Robert "Yummy" Sandifer • Morbidology". January 19, 2018.
- ^ a b c Papajohn, George (September 2, 1994). "Robert: Executed At 11". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
- ^ NewspaperArchive.
- ^ Buckley, William Lee, Madeline. "11-year-old 'Yummy' Sandifer was on the run for killing a teenage girl. Then he was killed by his own gang in a Chicago story that shocked the nation 25 years ago". chicagotribune.com.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Sharon Cohen (December 18, 2007). "Locked up at 14 for an infamous murder, living with regrets and dreaming of a future". Star-News. Archived from the original on December 14, 2013. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
- ^ a b Lee, William; Buckley, Madeline (August 30, 2019). "11-year-old 'Yummy' Sandifer was on the run for killing a teenage girl. Then he was killed by his own gang in a Chicago story that shocked the nation 25 years ago". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
- ^ Terry, Don (September 8, 1994). "In an 11-Year-Old's Funeral, a Grim Lesson". The New York Times. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
- ^ Bogert, Carroll (November 20, 2020). "I Wasn't a Superpredator. I Was a Kid Who Made a Terrible Decision". The Marshall Project. Retrieved April 6, 2021.