Answers sought in 1996 murder of NBA player's father in Camden

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Wife seeks answers in husband's death more than 2 decades ago. Rick Williams reports during Action News at 11 p.m. on March 3, 2018.

The father of a current NBA player was murdered in the streets of Camden, New Jersey nearly 22 years ago, but the killer remains at large.

Michael Gilchrist was 30 years old when he was shot and killed on August 11, 1996.

His widow, Cynthia Richardson, said even after all that time, her emotions are still raw.

"He was a happy, fun-loving guy. Everybody liked him, and I think that's what made this so unbelievable," she said.

Gilchrist was preparing his kids for bed not long before he died.

"He put the kids in the bathtub and he was like, 'I'm going out and I'll be back,'" Richardson said.

What her son said to Gilchrist that night has stuck with her all these years.

"I remember it like it was yesterday. When he went to leave, the kids had their pajamas on, my son walked to the steps and said 'Daddy, don't leave,'" she said.

That was around 10 p.m. Not long after he left, police were called to the unit block of Dudley Street in Camden.

That's where they found Gilchrist suffering from a gunshot wound. He died at the scene.

Richardson said, "I would like to say that I found someplace to put it a long time ago, but in all actuality you never really do."

The Citizens Crime Commission is administering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible.

All you have to do is call 215-546-TIPS (8477).

All calls will remain anonymous.

Richardson says her biggest heartache is that Gilchrist didn't get to see his 24-year-old son, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, turn into an NBA player for the Charlotte Hornets.

And that her son has lived nearly his entire life not knowing his father's killer.