Web of Death: Facebook Live - How a Father's Social Media Plea Solved His Daughter's Murder

The Tragic Loss of Keisha Hawkins

• 💔 Keisha Hawkins, also known as Niki or Kishha, was tragically shot and killed at a party on July 24th, 2011, after a dispute escalated.
• 👨‍👧 Her father, Calvan Hawkins, a devoted and protective parent, deeply regrets letting her attend the party, blaming himself for not preventing the tragedy.
• 🎂 Keisha, described as a fun-loving baker and the life of the party, was just days away from her 18th birthday when she was murdered.

The Initial Investigation and Cold Case

• 🚨 The party, themed as a "stoplight party" indicating relationship status, devolved into chaos and fighting, leading to its shutdown and attendees spilling onto the street.
• 🔫 Amidst the chaos, gunshots were fired, resulting in Keisha's death and injuring another partygoer.
• 🚫 Despite approximately 150 witnesses, fear, distrust of police, and gang intimidation prevented anyone from coming forward, leaving the case cold for five years.
• 🕵️ Initial investigations focused on a partygoer named Cameron Kent, who was arrested but later released when ballistics proved he was not the shooter.

Calvan Hawkins's Social Media Crusade

• 📱 In 2016, five years after the murder, a despondent Calvan Hawkins, struggling with grief and anger, took matters into his own hands.
• 📢 He launched a Facebook Live stream outside the police department, publicly pleading for help and exposing the lack of police action, which quickly went viral.
• 📰 The viral Facebook Live caught the attention of a local reporter, leading to increased media coverage and public pressure.
• 🚔 This public outcry and renewed attention prompted the police to assign new detectives, Jillian Ashley and Anna Painter, to re-examine the case.

Reopening the Case and Finding Witnesses

• 🔍 Detectives Ashley and Painter meticulously reviewed the existing evidence, including 140 statements on CD-ROM.
• 🗣️ A key witness, Michael Cooper, who had initially identified Charles Garren as the shooter, recanted his statement, claiming he made it up.
• 🤝 Another witness, Skyisha Pender, who was in a relationship with Charles Garren at the time, eventually provided a crucial statement, corroborating that Garren shot into the crowd.
• 📸 In a stroke of luck, crime scene photos revealed an envelope containing photo booth pictures from the party, showing Garren wearing the plaid shirt described by witnesses, providing the missing physical evidence.

Trial, Verdict, and Aftermath

• ⚖️ The trial began six years after Keisha's murder, with significant public interest due to Calvan's Facebook Live campaign.
• 👨‍⚖️ Despite a weak case with only one key witness and no murder weapon, the prosecutor pursued the case, bolstered by the photo evidence.
• ✅ On September 26th, 2017, Charles Garren was found guilty of Keisha Hawkins's murder.
• ⛓️ Garren was sentenced to 50 years in prison, with an appeal denied in 2018.
• ❤️ The case highlights the power of a father's determination, community engagement through social media, and the perseverance of law enforcement in seeking justice.