35 days ago
ShareFriday would have been Donell Eason, Jr.'s 21st birthday. But instead of having a party for him, his family is asking for help finding his killer.
He was gunned down in his grandmother's front yard in Pine Bluff back in March. The family says they won't find peace until his killer is found.
His memorial flutters in the wind, in the same spot where he was left in a pool of blood to die. It's a reminder to the neighborhood of the unsolved crime.
"It's been a terrible year for me; it's been rough," said Donell Eason, sr., the victim's father.
Eason, Jr.'s and friends posted birthday wishes where crime tape used to be.
"It used to be just me and him and nobody else but now I have nobody else to share it with," said Natassia Eason, the victim's sister.
The family says on March 31st, Eason, Jr. borrowed a friend's car and was driving home to his grandmother's around 2 a.m. Before he made it into the house, flashing blue lights and screams about gunshots woke Minnie Franklin.
"By baby ran through the door, Mama 'somebody's out there on the road. Someone's on there road. I bet its Didi.' I said, 'it can't be Didi, that's my baby,'" said the victim's grandmother, Minnie Franklin.
Clarence Eason, his grandfather, adds, "When I got here and saw him lying around, I was going crazy, that's anything because the boy was so sweet."
Family members say they can't think of anything that would push anyone to kill Eason, Jr., but they believe it may have had something to do with the electronics in the car he was driving.
Eason's car was later found, burned, miles away from where he was shot. Police have no idea how it got there or who set it on fire.
Since then, the investigation has been turned over to the Pine Bluff Police Department's Detective Division.
Eason's father says even though seven months have gone by, no one from the division has given them any answers about the investigation.
"I don't believe they're going to do anything, to me, they are not even worried about it they not worried about that," says Donnell Eason, sr.
Pine Bluff police wouldn't give THV an on camera update on the case. In a phone interview, the public information officer said he doesn't know what has been done in the investigation since March because he's not familiar with the case and has no idea which detective is handling it.
Donnell Eason, Jr's death was the sixth homicide in Pine Pluff this year.
For more on this story, click here or here for previous Today's THV stories.
Anyone having any information about this case is asked to contact the Pine Bluff Police Department Detective Division at 870-543-5111 or Crime Hotline at 870-543-5110.
