The City of Dallas did not follow through on a promise to construct a memorial for a 13-year-old girl who was murdered in 2017, according to her family members.
Shavon Randle was kidnapped from her aunt’s home in Lancaster in June 2017.
Her body was found a few days later inside an abandoned, boarded-up house on E. Kiest Boulevard in Oak Cliff. She had been shot four times.
At the time, community members in the area constructed a makeshift memorial to the young victim, dubbing the Oak Cliff house Randle was found in a “house of horrors,” according to WFAA.
The City of Dallas ordered the house demolished after examining the remains and crime scene. It allegedly promised Randle’s family to memorialize her with a small plaque or tree on the vacant lot.
Shaquna Persley, Randle’s mother, told WFAA that the City broke that promise when it allowed a house to be built on the property.
A four-bedroom home now sits where Persley claims the City was supposed to memorialize her daughter.
Dallas County records show the empty lot was sold to developers in July 2022. A building permit was approved in October 2022.
Persley claims her repeated calls to the City went unreturned over the years despite staff taking her number and promising someone would follow up with her.
“I just want what we [were] promised,” Persley said, according to WFAA. “You know, I want something there for my baby.”
Police believe Randle was kidnapped in retaliation after her cousin’s boyfriend reportedly stole $250,000 worth of marijuana from a local gang.
Four men were eventually jailed for the criminal activity that left Randle and alleged gang member Michael Titus dead.
Desmond Jones and Darius Fields were convicted of organized criminal activity that resulted in Randle’s kidnapping and death. Jones was sentenced to 99 years in prison for his role; Fields, 55.
The other two men, Laquon Wilkerson and Devontae Owens, later pleaded guilty to engaging in organized criminal activity and were sentenced to 50 and 30 years in prison, respectively.
According to the latest Dallas COMPSTAT Crime Report, non-familial murders are up 37.74% year-to-date in Dallas.
The Dallas Express contacted the office of District 8 Council Member Tennell Atkins to inquire about the City’s alleged promise to construct a memorial at the site in his district but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
