Case Profiles #74
Ivol Brown
Ivol Brown had found himself on the wrong side of life at a young age. When he was 14-years-old, he was kicked out of school for selling crack to other students and spent some time in prison relating to this charge. Shortly after, he was approached by a youth worker who offered him a job, which he accepted, and he never looked back. By the age of 17, Ivol was attending the Community Academy in Roxbury, Massachusetts, working three separate jobs to help support his family, actively participating in his church, and also had taken on a leadership role in the youth jobs campaign he worked for. Ivol was an advocate for reversing the negative path local youths could find themselves on, and he dedicated his time ensuring that nobody went through what he had gone through. Unfortunately, on Memorial Day of 2010, while waiting for his mother to come pick him up to bring him to work, Ivol was fatally stabbed in broad daylight. There is very little information regarding any witnesses or evidence involved in Ivol’s murder, and it remains unsolved to this day. If you or anyone you know has any information regarding the fatal stabbing of Ivol Brown, please contact the CrimeStoppers tip line at 1-800-494-TIPS or by texting the word “TIP” to 27463.
Nakieka Taylor
30-year-old Nakieka Taylor, nicknamed Kiki, was described by close family friend Derick Willis as the “best person you could ever want to be around, fun-loving, caring. She'd do anything for anybody. She's a real, real good person. It's sad to see that she's not gonna be here no more." She grew up in Roxbury, Massachusetts and worked as a lifeguard at the Boys and Girls Club and at city pools. She loved kids and was always eager to offer help to anyone. Kiki had actually taken care of her brother Nelson after he was caught in a house fire and almost died, suffering from extensive burns. Her obituary said that she nursed him back to health. Her mom said that she was a cheerful person and was working hard to move out of the family apartment where she had lived for 21 years. She recently got her drivers license, was working on getting her GED and was so excited for her future.
On August 20th, 2017, police were called to the Warren Gardens apartment complex off of Walnut Avenue in Roxbury, Massachusetts after multiple calls were made reporting gunshots. The scene was described as “complete chaos” as just after 9:30 p.m., gunshots rang out across the courtyard of the apartment complex. It was a warm summer night and there were children outside playing, and they began screaming. A neighbor said “Whatever door was open, the kids were running in” to get inside to safety. Among the chaos, Kiki was lying on the ground. Some sources said that she had been walking across the courtyard from a friend’s apartment back to her own and others said she had been sitting on her porch enjoying the night, but whatever the case was, gunshots came out of nowhere and Kiki was struck with a stray bullet. Kiki’s mom found her lying on the ground and struggling to breathe, and her mom stated “I was touching her leg. She said she ‘couldn’t feel her side.’” She was rushed to Boston Medical Center where she later died of her injuries. There wasn’t any significant bleeding, but she had been shot in the stomach and this caused fatal internal bleeding. The only lead was that someone saw a man run away after the shooting. Kiki’s case remains unsolved. Anyone with any information on the murder of Nakieka Taylor is asked to please call homicide detectives at 617-343-4470. You can also call anonymously at CrimeStoppers at 1-800-494-TIPS.
Image sources:
wbur.org - “Reformed Teen, Advocate Laid to Rest in Mattapan”
bostonherald.com - “Stray bullet kills Roxbury woman”