Parents: ‘We need justice’ in murder of young business owner
INDINAPOLIS (WISH) — The parents of Derrick Williams Jr. have been restless for nearly five months.
Derrick L. and Sharron Williams had a news conference Wednesday afternoon at their home to share their frustration over the lack of activity in the homicide investigation of their 25-year-old son.
“It’s unimaginable. It is unsettling. There is nothing that we can put into words to describe it, none,” Mrs. Williams said.
On Oct. 9, Derrick Jr. was shot to death on a Saturday night near North Mitthoeffer Road and Chris Drive. That’s on the east side just south of the I-70 overpass for Mitthoeffer Road.
Mr. Williams said, “It has been heartbreaking ever since. I’m still trying to phantom, I can’t still believe he is gone.”
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department has released limited information about the case.
The Williamses say they were told their son left home that night to meet up with friends at a party. “And he never showed up. They found his car. They found his phone. In our minds, somebody robbed him and took his stuff, but that is all we know. Nothing else passed that point,” Mr. Williams said.
The Williamses say Derrick Jr. had a promising future. His parents serve in the military and recently settled in Indianapolis. Derrick Jr. was a North Dakota State University alumnus and moved to be near his family after graduation. He decided to open a furniture shop not too far from where someone murdered him.
Mr. Williams says his family says Derrick Jr. was beloved by many and always went the extra mile to help others.
“For us, how can you move and we don’t know what went on? We buried him, which was the hardest thing ever as a parent, and we still don’t know what happened to him,” Mr. Williams said.
In hopes of reviving the case, the Williamses pleaded Wednesday with the public to share surveillance video from that area or any other clues to help them piece together what happened. His parents say they won’t rest until people will come forward.
“We need justice, and I am just hoping somebody will come forward to get it off their heart. I know as much as we can’t sleep. They can’t either,” Mrs. Williams said.
