Nearly seven years after Jade Walker was fatally shot in Houston, her family is still waiting for answers and justice.
On what marks the anniversary of her death, Jade’s mother, Nicole Thomas, is renewing her plea for police to reexamine the case, which has gone cold.
“To have no answers, it’s like a hole in your heart,” Thomas said. “It’s traumatizing to know someone out there killed my daughter, and I may have crossed paths with them.”
10 pm
At around 10 p.m., on Aug. 11, 2018, 25-year-old Jade Walker was sitting in a car with her boyfriend, Barry Redding, outside his parents’ home when gunmen opened fire. Police say nearly 40 rounds were shot into the vehicle.
Redding was not injured. Jade, tragically, was struck in the back of the head and later died at the hospital.
Her sister, Madison Thomas, remembers the moment they got the call.
“It was late at night. My stepbrother said Jade got shot, and I immediately just started breaking down,” she said. “She was like a second mom to me. She was my everything.”
A Case That’s Gone Cold
Houston Police initially believed the shooting was targeted. The original lead detective stated that Redding provided limited information. He was questioned but never charged.
Now, nearly a decade later, that detective has retired, and the family says they haven’t heard from investigators in over two years.
“I want answers. I want someone to call me back and let me know the case is being worked,” said Thomas. “No one returns my calls. It feels like they’ve just forgotten about her.”
When KPRC 2 reached out to HPD, officials said it was unclear who was currently assigned to the case but promised to find out who should be assigned and to follow up with the family.
Redding told KPRC 2 that the shooting was a case of “being in the wrong place at the wrong time.” He feels a nearby neighbor may have become paranoid when they saw the couple repeatedly driving through the area while talking.
He maintains his innocence, saying he and his family even tried to help the police early on.
“My dad told the police where the people (were at), at that house; they stayed around the corner,” Redding said. “But they didn’t properly investigate it at all. They could have done a better job.”
Thomas says she wants police to revisit Redding’s account.
“I would like him interviewed again,” she said. “I wish they would press him.”
Walker’s death left behind a grieving family, including her now 11-year-old daughter, who was just 4 when her mother was killed.
Madison says closure is not just for her, but for her niece, who is growing up with questions no child should have to ask.
“This is not just another Jane Doe. Jade was a real person. She was loved. And, if you knew her, you would’ve loved her,” Madison said. “Please, if you know anything, say something.”
Anyone with information about Jade Walker’s murder is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at 833-TIPS. A cash reward is being offered for information that leads to an arrest.
