Ena Griffin, the mother of murder victim Theodore “Teddy” Beckles wants someone to come forward. On September 20th, Teddy got into a fight in front of Independence High School and the High School for Environmental Studies with another student, Erik White. According to Teddy’s 16 week pregnant girlfriend, Marissa Floran, three of White’s other friends joined in on the fight. Two held Teddy down while the others continuously punched him and beat him. Next thing she knew, Teddy was stumbling towards her holding his chest. The four kids are being charged with only gang assault, because not ONE student that watched the altercation, has stepped forward. “I know someone isn’t sleeping at night,” said Griffin. STOP THE VIOLENCE!!! Drop down bottom for more on what happened.
As a crowd of students formed around the melee, two of the teens held Beckles to the ground while the other two repeatedly punched him in the face, Marissa said. She then lost sight of Beckles until he later staggered toward her, bleeding from his chest.
“When I saw all the blood, it just broke my heart,” Marissa said.
Beckles died that evening from a single stab wound to the chest, the medical examiner’s office said. Investigators later found a bloody knife stashed inside a nearby mailbox, court records show.
Police arrested White, Brandon Gant and Tyrelle Gamble, all 17, and Kevorn Heskey, 16, on Sept. 21 and charged them with gang assault.
