MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — Dermetrics Warren and Khadijah James have never met before Friday, but they have a lot in common.
They both have no idea who killed their loved ones.
“My son got killed June 14, 2015,” Warren said.
“My mother and my uncle were killed July 3, 2021,” James said.
Warren says her son, Diquan Key was only 21 when he was shot and killed outside Soul Masters Barbecue and Lounge in Milledgeville.
“His body laid in front of the dining club like a piece of trash,” Warren said.
Warren says her son was in a gang, but he was kind and a good person.
“My body was numb. Our kids are supposed to bury us, we’re not supposed to bury them,” she said. “He is missed by everyone.”
James says she has an experience all too similar.
“My sister gave me a call saying that mom and uncle T.J. are not moving anymore,” James cried.
42-year-old Erica Reaves, 29-year-old Tyric Justice James, and 38-year-old Quincy Jackson were all shot in their home on Laura Court.
James' little sister and brother were in the home at the time. Jackson, James' stepdad, died from his wounds two weeks later.
“My mom was everything to me– she was my best friend. For somebody to just come in and do that to them, and for me to not get any more information is very sad,” James said.
For 9 years, Warren has waited for Milledgeville Police to solve her son's case. James has waited three.
“They went forth and they start rounding up some people who were on probation [to interview], but I never heard nothing back from them,” Warren said. “They just kept saying that they were on the case.”
“They will call me, the police, around the time of the murder and let me know that they’re still working, but as of now I have no updated information about who killed my family,” James said.
They hope to get some answers at the second Baldwin NAACP forum meeting.
President Cynthia Ward Edwards says last year the house was packed and a popular topic was unsolved homicides in the city and county.
“It's a continuation with unsolved crimes, general public relations-- concerns in the community,” Ward Edwards said.
She says city and county officials, law enforcement, and the community all have the opportunity to talk to each other. Both Warren and James say they’re grateful to have a space to speak their minds and hold people accountable.
“They let us know that there is somebody who cares,” Warren said. “That there is somebody that hasn't forgotten about our loved ones that got killed."
“I don't know who did it and they still could be walking right beside me, so if we don’t speak up, we can’t expect anybody else to,” James said.
The forum happens Monday at 6 p.m. at the Union Baptist Church on North Clarke Street in Milledgeville.
They say the sheriff's office, police department, district attorney, and other city leaders will attend.