Mother searching for justice in murder of 16-year-old son
NORTH PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A mother, grieving the death of her teenage son, is coming to you for help.
"Markquez was a sweet kid - funny, smart. He was a triplet," said Janean Washington.
She says her 16-year-old son Markquez Houston was always making music.
"That's all we would hear throughout the house was just him humming and singing," Janean said.
Janean says on Sunday November 5, 2017, Markquez was hanging out with his siblings and friends on the porch of their home along the 2700 block of 19th Street in North Philadelphia.
Just before 12:15 a.m. Janean says she got a frantic call from one of her sons.
"I was going to grab pizza and soda," Janean said. "He was like, 'Mom, forget about the sodas. You need to hurry home. Marquez, fat man,' they called him fat man, 'fat man just got shot.'"
Janean says she arrived while paramedics were still working on Markquez.
"When the paramedics stopped, I asked the officer, I was like, 'Why are they stopping?' And he was like, 'I'm sorry, ma'am, but he's gone,'" Janean said.
Markquez was pronounced dead at 12:26 a.m..
A neighbor's 12-year-old son was shot in the leg, but survived.
The City of Philadelphia is offering up to $20,000 in reward money for the arrest and conviction of the person responsible. Just call the Citizens Crime Commission at 215-546-TIPS. All calls will remain anonymous.
Even though it's been nearly a year, Janean says her entire family is still navigating their grief.
"Certain smells, certain songs trigger stuff and I gotta deal with that," she said.
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