Four years later the facts of the murder of UMd graduate Justin DeSha-Overcash remain unknown.
“Justice will never be served until the unaffected become as outraged as the affected.” ~Benjamin Franklin
January 11, 2011 a cloudy day would begin with snow flurries that
would turn into a snow storm. This would be the last day of Justin
DeSha-Overcash’s life. The day the Prince George’s county pPpolice press
release department would begin to circulate many fabricated stories,
pursuant to Justin’s life and senseless demise, to the media.
As ‘Justin’s momma’, Karen DeSha, I am finally writing to set forth
the true facts of the most bizarre and incredulous nightmare I was
forced to participate in involving unconscionable lies about my
beautiful son, Justin, after his violent murder by a PG county career
criminal.
FACT: Justin resided in a single family dwelling [a
home] at 8809 38th Avenue College Park, MD while attending UMd. This
home consisted of six bedrooms which were leased to different individual
UMd students at any given time. When they rent these rooms these
students do not know one another. My weary heart is growing more of the
opinion that if a college student feels their life to be in danger, by a
room mate, they should be allowed to cancel their lease
immediately, their deposit be returned, with no questions asked. As for
the reckless rental method of college landlords, which appears is
beginning to endanger the lives of students, I can state with great
conviction, landlords should be held accountable if they choose to
continue to rent rooms “helter skelter” to Lessees who murder or harm
other Lessees. “Money” truly has become the root of all evil.
In the current climate in America of young children, teenagers, and
millennia’s taking the lives of others ‘in the blink of an eye’
something is very wrong and I am reminded of Justin’s 1993 elementary
school mission statement “Home Is Where the Start Is.” Parents wake up
communicate with your children give them guidance, consistency, and
above all love!
FACT: Justin had confided in his mentor at UMd
he did not like the “things” that were going on at 8809 38th Avenue.
His concerned mentor immediately suggested he move and he responded, “I
will move in May when I graduate and my [lease] is up.” My son never
made it to May!
FACT: Justin DeSha-Overcash bravely forfeited
his life and saved TWO fellow UMd alumni on January 11, 2011 from the
masked gunman who later would be captured and identified as PG County
career criminal Deandre Ricardo Williams. Why did the Prince George’s
county police press release department [never] report Justin’s selfless
and heroic act? This is the Justin we all know and love: compassionate,
accountable, loving, a true ‘brother’, and genuinely protective human
being! Yet never [never] was Justin’s life saving act of heroism
released to the media.
FACT: Justin did not die in his rental
home. Justin was transported, unconscious, via ambulance to the
hospital and he fought for one hour and three minutes to LIVE! However,
my brave, beautiful, strong, intelligent son’s colon had been nicked by
one of the two, or a piece of, one of the two horrid bullets Mr.
Williams cold bloodily pumped into my precious son’s body; my gift from
God. Justin’s healthy body went toxic and there was nothing, absolutely
nothing, the doctors in the emergency room could do to change my best
friend, my joy, my constant, my
son’s fate. Justin was pronounced at 12:30 PM on January 11, 2011.
FACT: Mr. Williams had received a Felony II Handgun Charge on December
18, 2010 in the District of Columbia and was jailed in DC. He pleaded
with a judge to release him she replied,
“No, you are High
Intensity”. He went before a male judge a day later pleading again to
be released, his reply, “No you are High Intensity.” On the third
attempt Mr. Williams appeared before a female judge to plead for his
release. She released him on December 20, 2010 with an ankle monitor
that only registered that Mr. Williams was in by curfew, 10 PM until 6
AM, and Mr. Willams was [free to do as he pleased] from 6AM until 10 PM
everyday.
FACT: Twenty two days later [22 days] this “High
Intensity” criminal fatally shot my son for no reason. In the District
of Columbia it is against the law to release a prisoner being held on a
Felony II Handgun Charge. I researched and found this Felony II Handgun
Charge against Mr. Williams and notified the
DC Attorney General’s
Office. Upon notifying the authorities in DC that Mr. Williams had
committed the First Degree Murder of my son, Justin, while he was
wearing an ankle monitor the Assistant AG was most willing to work with
me to bring Mr. Williams to justice. My son, Justin DeSha-Overcash, and
I were made Victim/Survivors of this crime.
FACT: On the day
Mr. Williams murdered my son in cold blood he was on a Parole Violation
for a 2009 charge he committed in Prince George’s county where he
murdered Justin DeSha-Overcash; however, his defense attorney quickly
hid this offense.
FACT: With the assistance of Chief David
Mitchell, of the University of Maryland, he secured a conference with
the Prince George’s county authorities in Upper Marlboro, MD on *March
25. 2011. When I met with Chief Mitchell, who was the former Chief of
PG County for twenty six years, in February 2011 he found it
unbelievably incredulous that the acting Chief had not even contacted me
since Justin’s murder. I had placed numerous calls to the Acting
Chief and none of my calls were returned. Many of you reading this may
not know Victims and Survivors have “no rights”. We are patronized,
treated with disdain, threatened, or utterly and completely ignored.
They [authorities] hope Victims and Survivors of violent crimes will
grow weary and just “go away”; this treatment is not prevalent to
Prince George’s county this is the customary treatment of Victims and
Survivors in every state and city America. Vote HR# 40 Victims Rights
Bill
*March 25, 2011 Conference-in attendance Mr. Erico
[representing the newly appointed police commissioner], Acting Chief
McGaw, Major Stronge-Homicide, Major Moore-Victim Assistance, Lead
Detective Harris, MCVRC Attorney Mrs. Pauline Mandel, Esq., myself, and
my witnesses UMd Grad students Jodie Gaeman and Jesse Wimert. I learned
from the beginning of this nightmare never to meet with Prince George’s
county without witnesses.
I spoke of how they [PG county
authorities] had violated Justin’s Constitutional Rights as a Victim and
“murdered him twice” by fabricating stories of his lifestyle and
feeding information to the media that was untrue and I made it quite
clear I was not leaving this meeting until they told me why! I could
share many things that were said on this day in the two and one half
hours spent in this room; however, I am going straight to a few
statements made by then Acting Chief McGaw. His short, unconscionable,
and ludicrous exchange horrified me and therein I immediately knew
Prince George’s County’s agenda which lead to all the lies and
fabrications in their attempt to harm my son, Justin’s good name and 22 year honorable life.
McGaw looked across the table at me and said. “You have to
understand. We had all these things going on in our precinct.” In my
mind I thought, [I don’t have to understand anything, my son is dead!]
McGaw continued, with more emphasis in his voice, “Then all these
murders began happening!” [I felt sick to my stomach. In a split
second I realized the truth and before McGaw could utter another word I
looked him directly in the eye and said], “Oh my God, you “threw Justin
under the bus” to take the media’s eye off your money laundering
precinct!” Everyone in attendance looked down at the table no one would
look at me. They kept looking at the table as I let out a gasp of
horror, disbelief, and grief. I guessed their ‘agenda’! My Caucasian,
middle class, college educated son had been literally and figuratively
‘drug through the mud’ because they never expected I would stand up for
my child that I know my son and who he is that I am a full-time momma
who communicates with her child and would not back down until I got to
the bottom of this barrel of lies. They ‘used’ Justin never
anticipating I would stand at the gates of Hell for my son if this is
what it would take to regain Justin’s honor.
m Did none of
you wonder why the other thirty four murder Victims garnered no more
than two or three Paragraphs? I certainly did! The PG County prosecutor and I had
many conversations which ended in my saying, “The only racial issues in
Prince George’s county are caused by the judicial system!” This is the
same prosecutor who screamed in my face saying, "it's a business" he
was of course referring to the judicial system!
In
February 2011 I secured a copy of the evidence sheet from Justin’s room.
I questioned why all the bags of marijuana they “allegedly claimed” were in his
room were not listed? I asked if they ‘lied’ or they ‘took them’. Many
people wrote unkind comments saying I was [white and clueless]; that
just because Justin
was white and in college he was still a drug
dealer and I needed to stop being stupid and realize this. Well they
were wrong and no I posses a lot of common sense. Thank you for
reminding me of my ethnicity; however, I was raised not seeing color and
in turn Justin was raised not seeing color. A [man] murdered my son;
plain and simple.
I will turn 59 in January I am a child
of the 70’s and unlike some parents I refused to lie to my son or be a
hypocrite. I was always very open and honest with Justin I told him
this was the only constant in life, other than my love, I could offer
him. Here is the advice I gave him about marijuana; “never keep
more than a misdemeanor amount on you, in your vehicle, or in your room
at anytime.” My son listened to his momma there was a misdemeanor
amount of marijuana in his room on January 11, 2011. [OMG! Marijuana
on a college campus; by the way I am not ashamed of Justin never was
never will be.
I must also mention I am a proponent for
legalization of marijuana.] Keep in mind as you read this Justin Vance
DeSha-Overcash is my child and I raised my son my way with honesty,
integrity, ethics, morals, honor, and accountability.
By
the way the police took three hundred and fourteen dollars ($314.00) off
of Justin’s dresser labeling this ‘drug money’. I took Justin’s pay
stubs and his bank statements and did simple bookkeeping and the three
hundred and fourteen dollars ($314.00) were refunded to me with an
apology letter. The state of Maryland paid the full burial benefit of
five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) these funds are only paid [if] the
Victim is not involved in the cause/crime of their death. Seven hundred
and eighty dollars ($780.00) were paid for forty eight (48) grief
counseling sessions for me; three years later I am still seeing a
psychologist and will more than likely be seeing one for the remainder
of my life without Justin.
Now I ask you, as an
intelligent person, after reading this additional information one would
have to ask many new questions about the validity of the fodder delved
out to the media from the PG county police press release department in
2011 and 2012.
Crime Stoppers paid out the twenty five thousand ($25,000.00) reward posted for Justin’s murderer.
Justin, a double major Physics and Astronomy minor Geophysics,
possessed 176 college credits and received his diploma posthumously.
His beloved Alma mater, the glorious, University of Maryland at College
Park has a scholarship in his name “The Justin DeSha-Overcash Summer
Research Award”. If you feel so inclined please donate to allow UMd
students the ability to enjoy learning as much as Justin.
We lost a great research scientist, an amazing human being, a community asset, many lost a close
loving friend, I lost a loving and devoted son, future grandchildren, future great-grandchildren, and the
will to live.
If you were not present in the court
room at the sentencing hearing then you are not aware I forgave Mr.
Williams. I told him Justin forgave him by the time he looked into the
Lord’s eyes. I continued,“Mr. Williams I do not hate you we do not use
this word in our home. However, I must tell you; you have enough hate
within you for everyone within this court room today. My hope is you
seek and find God for I know He is your only hope.” The sooner the
people of this world come together the better I believe [my hope is]
this world will be.
I really do want my son back and I wish you too could have met Justin;
what I have written is the absolute truth so help me God.
I am and remain Justin’s loving, loyal, proud, and grieving momma
