Apparent Murder-Suicide Takes Like of 16-Year Old Girl, Parents Claim Police Ignored Their Pleas

July 21, 2013 Filed under black women, Family, News Posted by
 

Reported By: Britt L 

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A Northwest Baltimore teen was found with her throat slashed near the 3100 block of Liberty Heights Avenue on the southern edge of the city’s Ashburton neighborhood.

Diamond Williams, 16, was said to be a homebody, a standout student by her father Damond Williams Sr.

The girl’s father said it was unusual for Diamond to not call home after two hours of being away. He initially knew something was wrong.

The Williams’ family launched a search of their Northwest Baltimore neighborhood. They quickly located Diamond after midnight Friday in a stairwell just blocks away from their home.

“I found her,” Diamond’s father exclaimed Friday afternoon, fighting back tears as he sat on the family’s front porch.

Police believe that a 19-year-old man by the name of Shaquille Anthony is responsible for the death of the Junior, attending Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School. Anthony committed suicide near a basketball court in North Baltimore not long after Diamond’s body was found, authorities reported.

“We know that they knew each other for a couple of days,” said Sgt. Eric Kowalcyzk, a police spokesman

Kowalcyzk did not provide additional information about their relationship, saying detectives are still investigating.

Family members of Diamond’s said they suspected Anthony has some type of involvement with Diamond’s death. They said he had shown interest in the teenager, and Diamond had been walking to his house, distraught, the last time anyone in the neighborhood saw her.

“My son actually followed her down and told her to come home, but something had her upset,” Damond Williams said. “So there are a lot of missing pieces to this puzzle, because she never storms off.”

Kowalcyzk said several people called 911 and reported that a man had a gun and was telling people to leave.

 

The Baltimore Sun went to interview someone from Anthony’s home, but a woman answered the door and declined to comment.  Diamond was found at midnight and died upon arrival at Sinai Hospital at about 1:18 AM.

Friday, blood still stained the stairwell to a basement behind Salon L in the Ashburton Shopping Center where Diamond’s body was found. The store owner, Julie McConnell, said she had seen Diamond’s father and another man looking around the back of the building, trying to gather belongings of Diamond’s.

Mr. Williams was disappointed that the police handled the investigation of his daughters initial disappearance “poorly”. Shortly after Diamond was determined missing, he filed a missing persons report. However, he said the police just treated the case like “she was another teenage out running the streets.”

“They didn’t even open up a search party, didn’t even put up a helicopter,” Williams said. “They leave you to go and find your own child,” Damond said sadly.

Sergeant Kowalczyk said officers followed proper protocol when they took the missing-person’s report and had broadcast information about Diamond Williams to fellow officers throughout the city. The department’s “thoughts and prayers” are with the family, he said.

Teachers said Diamond was enrolled in a nursing program and was a cheerleader. She was a member of the school’s modeling club and had acted in two school plays.  Her mother said she wanted to pursue a career in theater.

A total of 20 women and girls have been killed in Baltimore this year, compared with 22 all of last year, 17 in all of 2011, and 19 in 2010.