Natasha Boykin died of a single gunshot wound to the chest on November 11, 2009
The media is currently saturated with stories on the death of Trayvon Martin and what some are calling a mishandling by the police department in Sanford, Fla. For Angel King, it’s just a reminder of how she believes the justice system and Jacksonville Beach Police Department let her down.
On November 11, 2009, King’s daughter Natasha Boykin died of a single gunshot wound to the chest. The police department ruled it a suicide; to this day, King believes otherwise. Not only did King’s mother’s intuition tell her otherwise, but the inconsistent evidence all pointed to murder.
According to King, her daughter’s body had multiple defense wounds and bruises as well as a gash on the back of her head and a knot on her forehead. King also explains that her daughter’s body was moved more than 30 inches, a piece of evidence private investigators hired by King say should have been grounds for a suspicious death investigation, an investigation that was never conducted by local police.
Despite her jeans being unbuttoned and her underwear on inside out, the Jacksonville Beach Police Department’s medical investigator never ran any tests for sexual assault. In fact, King claims that the medical examiner confessed to not completing an autopsy and solely relied upon the police’s information. King claims photographs of the crime scene documented blood on a door far away from her body.
Unfortunately, King is able to point out more suspicious items that weren’t even looked at by homicide investigators. Photographs of the .357 Magnum used clearly indicate a fingerprint, according to the devastated mother, but she states that fingerprints were never taken. She goes on to say that the weapon was returned to the boyfriend 23 days later along with his untested clothing.
Due to Boykin’s small stature, King explains that Boykin had to drive with a small pillow behind her back to reach the pedals of her car. King says the pillow, her high-heeled shoes worn that night and an overnight bag with money left in her car were all missing from the crime scene. King states that the whereabouts of these items were never looked into by police. She also says that photographs of Boykin’s boyfriend, the man she suspects of knowing more about her daughter’s death than he leads on, are also troubling.
“In many of the images, you can clearly see a white substance under his nose and a strange zig-zag pattern on his wrists and t-shirt, but he was never drug tested at any point in the investigation. Then there are dark, unexplainable spots on his face and hands and bitten down fingernails, all happenings remaining consistent with forensic pathologist Dr. Jonathan Arden’s report,” says King. “The police questioned him and decided to let him go, even after deception was indicated during a test. All I can ask is why?”
King believes Trayvon Martin’s family has been asking the same questions since the death of their son just over a month ago. While racial discrimination doesn’t play a role in the investigation of her daughter’s death, King knows exactly what it’s like to go through what she calls a mishandling of the case by the police department and those designated to protect and service justice.
“Members of the police department are supposed to be individuals we can trust,” King says. “I know nothing is going to bring Natasha back, but I know, like Trayvon’s family, I want the truth and I want justice to be served.”
MEDIA CONTACT:
Angel King
Truth Seekers for Justice
Email:
Website: www.truthseekersus.org
SOURCE: Truth Seekers for Justice
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