‘Tacky’: Vivica A. Fox Blasts Laverne Cox’s Red Carpet ‘Entanglement’ Comment
On Sunday, an awkward interview on the red carpet at the 2022 SAG Awards went viral and left actress Vivica A. Fox with a bone to pick.
The star-studded red carpet was hosted by Laverne Cox, where she stunned in a metallic sheer dress and interviewed several heavyweights in the industry, including Will and Jada Pinkett Smith.
As BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported, just before the ‘King Richard’ lead actor won the first SAG Award of his career, Cox stopped the couple to thank them for “for all the years of joy you’ve brought us.” The “Orange Is the New Black” actress continued to say she “can’t wait for more ‘Red Table Talk’ and more entanglements,” referring to Jada’s extramarital affair and popular Facebook series.
While many people found the joke to be comical, the hosts of “Cocktails With Queens” weighed in on the viral moment during its latest episode and Fox, one of the co-hosts, didn’t find Cox’s joke to be funny at all.
“Talk about wrong place, wrong time,” Fox said. “… As [Jada’s] standing next to her husband, who is absolutely in line to win an Oscar for playing the role of Richard [Williams] in the Venus and Serena Williams’ story, King Richard… I just thought it was tacky.”
Fox added that Cox seemed to be pulling a viral moment stunt, but said when “you’re climbing the ladder of success” you have to be careful “who you choose to insult.”
“Because darling, please remember that Will Smith and Jada are a power couple. They do a lot of work, they’re very well-connected,” she explained. “There are people that now, when you go on the red carpet, they’re gonna walk right past your a**, quickly.”
Baltimore Man Who Blamed Wife’s Death on Panhandlers Handed Life Sentence for Killing Her
In December 2018, a Baltimore man who claimed that a panhandler killed his wife during an alleged robbery has been handed down a life sentence for the murder.
According to CBS Baltimore, 55-year-old Keith Smart was sentenced to life in prison for killing his wife, Jacquelyn Smith in 2018. He initially stated his wife was fatally stabbed by the hands of a panhandler. Smart was also sentenced to three years for a deadly weapon with intent to injure.
Breaking…
Keith Smith sentenced to life for the murder of his wife.
Below is our story from when he was convicted in December.
Keith Smith Convicted Of First-Degree Murder In Wife’s Killing – CBS Baltimore @wjz https://t.co/MeafKpMSkV
Jacquelyn’s sister, Yzonne Saab was pleased with the outcome of the case.
“This didn’t bring her back but we were elated and feel that definitely justice was served,” Saab said. “And as I said on the record, the judge was very poignant and to the point. You could tell that she really reviewed this case thoroughly and made a decision that made us very happy.”
In December 2021, Smith’s daughter, Valeria Smith, 31 admitted to assisting her father in covering up the killing of her stepmother on Dec. 1, 2018, and blaming it on panhandlers. According to Law & Crime, Valeria pleaded guilty in 2019 to being an accessory after the fact.
According to authorities, Keith Smith told police officers that he was driving home in Baltimore with Jacquelyn and Valeria after celebrating the latter’s birthday. He said Jacquelyn gave some panhandlers $10 through the car window, but then they snatched her necklace, took her purse, and stabbed her multiple times. Keith told police the suspects were a man in a blue hoodie, who allegedly stabbed Jacquelyn and a woman in a brown coat who was carrying a baby.
Police officer Sgt. Daniel Santos testified in Valeria’s case that police officers couldn’t find the crime scene of the alleged robbery although they returned to the exact intersection where Keith Smith said it happened. They did not find any evidence that the robbery occurred or either of the panhandlers.
Valeria said she helped her father try to cover up the murder by throwing away Jacquelyn’s purse at a bus stop.
Keith and Valeria were arrested just 20 minutes from the Mexico border.
After the verdict was delivered earlier this week, Baltimore State Attorney Marilyn Mosby stated, “Keith Smith will now justly serve a life sentence in prison for violently stabbing his wife to death and then creating an elaborate cover-up plan to cowardly blame panhandlers for his horrific attack. Today, the public can rest assured that justice was served in a case that manipulated the hearts and minds of our country.”
A Nonprofit Is Helping Companies Rebuild Their Workplaces To Support Black Women
When the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S. in 2020 and sent millions of Americans home to work, one group in particular thrived; Black women.
Black women who typically work in offices, were suddenly free from microagressions such as hair discrimination and explaining aspects of their culture and life that white co-workers don’t understand (or ever know about) leaving them to focus on their work.
Black workers are enjoying remote work so much that many said they’re worried about the push being made across the U.S. to return to offices. Data backs up the claim as one poll conducted last year showed 97% of Black employees were concerned about returning to work environments.
“Where Black women experience racism more than anywhere else is at work,” Angelica Geter, chief strategy officer of the Black Women’s Health Imperative (BWHI) told CNBC.
According to Geter, when corporate executives came to the group amid the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement, many had no clue racism was still affecting Black Americans, injustices were still occurring, or that the mental health of Black workers was also being affected.
To combat microaggressions, the BWHI has brought together health professionals, business executives, and community leaders to create a three-part workplace equity initiative. The BWHI launched its pilot program last September.
The initiative is broken down into three parts.
The first part of the initiative is to place employees within a corporate equity index to score companies based on current policies and practices and how they affect employees’ mental health. Part two is developing corporate fairness training specific to each employer in order to shift workplace culture to acknowledge and address how bias is built into the workplace environment. Part three will provide an anti-racism wellness toolkit for Black women including guidance on how to set boundaries at work and use available resources.
Another goal of the BWHI is to get more Black women in positions of leadership. Currently, just two Black women, Roz Brewer from Walgreens Boots Alliance and Thasunda Brown Duckett from TIAA, are the only CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. Adding more could lead to more support and inclusion for Black women.
Employers must also pay Black women, who currently need an extra 579 days to earn what a white man does in 365 days across industries, equitably. Making things worse is the fact that Black women have the largest student loan burdens.
Women History Month Spotlight: Leading the Charge Towards Inclusion in Hollywood, The Women of WarnerMedia
There are many women behind the scenes leading the charge in Hollywood. But their work and contributions often go unnoticed.
Here are some women leading the charge toward inclusion in Hollywood at WarnerMedia. Check out who they are and their accomplishments.
(Image: WarnerMedia)
CHRISTY HAUBEGGER
Executive Vice President, Communications and Chief Inclusion Officer, WarnerMedia
Christy Haubegger is Executive Vice President, Communications and Chief Inclusion Officer, WarnerMedia.
Recognized for advancing diverse representation in the entertainment industry, Haubegger leads WarnerMedia’s global marketing and communications efforts and is also responsible for furthering diversity, equity and inclusion across the enterprise’s workforce, so it more closely reflects the audience and community the company serves. Additionally, Haubegger works cross-divisionally to support and facilitate WarnerMedia’s overall mission to deliver the world’s best stories and most engaging content to help its global businesses capitalize on the outsized opportunities represented by underserved and diverse voices.
Haubegger joined WarnerMedia from Creative Artists Agency (CAA) where she spent 14 years leading the company’s drive to become the market leader in the representation of women and people of color, as well as transforming the workforce to become the most diverse and inclusive agency in the entertainment business. Under Haubegger’s leadership, CAA launched CAA Amplify, an invitation-only annual event convening high-level multicultural artists and leaders, as well as the Amplify Database, the industry’s first searchable database of television writers of color. During her tenure, the agency grew its diverse roster more than 1400% and according to USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, the agency now represents the largest share of female directors and African- American directors in the motion picture business.
Upon graduating from Stanford Law School, Haubegger founded Latina magazine in 1996. She moved into the world of entertainment in 2002 and worked as a film producer on Chasing Papi (20th Century Fox) and Oscar-winner James L. Brooks’ romantic comedy Spanglish (Columbia Pictures).
Haubegger serves on the boards of Management Leadership for Tomorrow (ml4t.org), a non-profit organization that works to increase the number of minority business leaders, as well as Hudson Pacific Properties (NYSE: HPP). Haubegger is also a founding member of “Poderistas” (formerly known as “She Se Puede”), a coalition of 10 prominent Latina activists from a variety of backgrounds who elevate, celebrate, and inspire Latinas to amplify their voices and actions on behalf of themselves, their communities and injustice in the workplace.
(Image: WarnerMedia)
SAMATA NARRA
Senior Vice President, Equity and Inclusion, Content Strategy, WarnerMedia
Samata Narra is Senior Vice President, Equity and Inclusion, Content Strategy, WarnerMedia. She is responsible for building innovative tools and creative solutions to help facilitate the advancement of diversity in our storytelling globally.
Since joining WarnerMedia in May of 2020, Narra has been involved in creating tools that are in service of our talent and content across the enterprise. By identifying critical moments in the content life cycle, she drives targeted effort that deploy seamless systems, which facilitate connection and creativity. She has designed programs and systems that support executives and producers at every stage of the creative development and production process. By working closely with external experts her aim is to build creative leadership capabilities and expand access to staffing resources, subject matter experts, development executives, and emerging talent.
Prior to joining WarnerMedia, she was Senior Vice President of Comedy Development and Current Programming for FOX where she developed and oversaw live action and animated comedy series. While there, she had the pleasure of working with the creative forces behind “The Last Man on Earth,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “New Girl,” “Bob’s Burgers,” and “The Mindy Project.”
Narra also spent a part of her career in representation at Fineman Entertainment and The William Morris Agency. While at Fineman, she developed the series “Lights Out” for FX and produced the Emmy-nominated romantic comedy documentary, “Meet the Patels.”
She is on the board of Film2Future, a non-profit providing equitable access to the entertainment industry for underrepresented LA youth. Her other board work includes Colour Entertainment and South Asian Women in Entertainment (SAWIE).
Narra is a native of Pikeville, Kentucky and earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Marketing from the Boston University School of Management.
(Image: WarnerMedia)
KAREN HORNE
Senior Vice President, Equity and Inclusion, Programs, WarnerMedia
Karen Horne is Senior Vice President, Equity and Inclusion, Programs, WarnerMedia. As a senior executive with over 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry, she has been recognized as a Diversity and Inclusion pioneer and pipeline builder.
Since coming to WarnerMedia in March of 2020, Horne has been involved in creating and implementing multiple pipeline programs that aim to amplify the voices of underrepresented communities. These programs give talented individuals, who would otherwise not have the opportunity, access to the entertainment industry to showcase their talent. She has brought expertise gained from her career to create cohesive programs, ranging from entry-level to mid-career, that service the entire enterprise. These programs support expansion in areas that have not traditionally been serviced (i.e., virtual production, games, news and sports, animation, comedy, etc.).
Before WarnerMedia, Horne was at NBC Entertainment and Universal Television Studios as Senior Vice President, Programming Talent Development and Inclusion where she was responsible for overseeing in-front-of and behind-the-camera primetime diversity efforts for NBC and Universal Television. While there, she started the Late-Night Writers Workshop in 2013 which changed the landscape of the writers’ rooms by increasing the number of women and ethnically diverse men, both of which were lacking. Another extraordinary program she developed was Female Forward, which guaranteed shadowing directors an opportunity to direct an entire episode in addition to the traditional shadowing access.
The programs and initiatives she created and/or developed became the industry’s gold standard and a blueprint for many other companies. Her background in finding and developing new talent allows her great ease in working with the creative world, while her corporate upbringing and work with C-Suite executives allows her equal comfort in any board room.
Horne’s lengthy resume includes a variety of disciplines and experience, including her tenure as Director of Creative Affairs at IDT Animation; designing, implementing, and overseeing Nickelodeon’s Writer Fellowship Program; serving as the Director of Writer Development & Special Projects and Studio Liaison for the Walt Disney Studios Fellowship Program at Walt Disney Network Television; and holding the position of Director, West Coast, for the Black Filmmaker Foundation. Her early career features stints as an executive assistant to the president of ABC Entertainment, as well as positions at ABC Television Network Group and ABC Sports. Horne also worked at HBO as a co-producer for the Emmy Award-winning animated series “Spawn.”
Horne has always been dedicated to increasing equity and inclusion in the entertainment industry throughout her career. She has been honored with several awards and recognitions for her diversity and inclusion work and her service to underrepresented communities. Horne serves on multiple industry boards and has spoken both nationally and internationally on diversity and inclusion best practices. She serves on the boards of Montclair State University’s School of Communication and Media, USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, The Alliance of Women Directors, RespectAbility, and The Urban League of the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. She is a member of several entertainment industry organizations.
(Image: WarnerMedia)
MYKHANH SHELTON
SVP, Equity and Inclusion, Workforce, WarnerMedia
MyKhanh Shelton is the Senior Vice President of Equity + Inclusion at WarnerMedia where she leads the organization’s diversity, equity, and inclusion work.
Her role at WarnerMedia is to dive deeply into the work of equity, to balance feelings and sentiments with doing longer term invisible work to create a sustainable business. Previously MyKhanh built the global programs, content, and training around inclusion and anti-harassment policies for the 22,000 employees of 21st Century Fox, where she helped guide culture and elevate awareness to create safer spaces for marginalized employees, established community through the creation of Employee Resource Groups, and leveraged her interpersonal communication skills to get stakeholder buy-in.
MyKhanh has been lauded for her resiliency within constantly evolving internal and external cultures and environments. She is passionate about eliminating barriers for people from underrepresented groups and serves on the board of Facing History and Ourselves, an international non-profit that engages students in an examination of racism, prejudice and antisemitism to promote the development of a more humane and informed citizenry. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children.
Racism at iHeartMedia? Program Director at Phoenix Radio Station Reportedly Refuses to Run Black Ads On-Air
The largest media company in the nation is in hot water after Aaron Trimmer, the Program Director at KFYI 550 AM News Talk, a commercial radio station owned by iHeartMedia and licensed to serve the greater Phoenix Arizona area, blatantly refused to run ads on-air promoting a local Black-owned business’ initiative about the importance of diversity and inclusion.
In an email from Trimmer himself regarding an on-air endorsement during Black History Month, he stated that the radio station is “in opposition to the need for corporate diversity programs” and that it would be “disingenuous for [KFYI talent] to conduct an endorsement/ interview spot to promote such programs.”
The business that was rejected was Thinkzilla Consulting, a globally recognized Black woman-owned brand engagement firm that expanded to Scottsdale, Arizona just three years ago.
The company’s founder and CEO, Dr. Velma Trayham, said she was attempting to purchase an advertisement with the station that focused on the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the local Arizona business community.
As the leader of an organization that helps to bridge the gap between corporations and African American and minority business owners, Dr. Trayham says she never expected to receive anti-diversity and discriminatory advertising comments from an iHeartMedia affiliate.
“Frankly, we were shocked and disheartened that a corporation would have this stance and reject a conversation on diversity because they do not feel like it’s a good fit for their brands,” she said.
A recent study by McKinsey noted that diverse executive teams improve their profitability by 33 percent compared to their peers. Dr. Trayham’s goal was to share this information along with tips for enhancing diversity efforts with local listeners. However, her efforts were sternly rejected by Trimmer who actually went against iHeartMedia’s very own Diversity in Radio Programming Policy as shared in the company’s ESG report: https://cdn.iheartmedia.com/documents/ESG/iHeartMedia.pdf
These accusations could not have come at a worse time for the media conglomerate. The widely recognized “iHeartRadio: Living Black!” event to celebrate the impact of Black culture in America is a stark contrast to the company-owned commercial station’s message.
“Black History Month is a time to honor diverse businesses, individuals, and contributions to our country’s diverse tapestry, and we do NOT believe iHeartMedia uses Black History Month and the talent of Black artists to further their business goals while simultaneously allowing 550 KFYI to deny advertisement based on discrimination and anti-diversity messaging,” Dr. Trayham declared.
“This is a clear case of discrimination, which is troubling to see in 2022. We need to work together, to share messages and stories about the importance of diversity, and to welcome new ideas if anything is ever going to change.”
Financial Expert Explains The IRS New Updates and How They Affect Small Business Owners
It was recently announced that as of Jan. 1, mobile payment apps like Venmo, PayPal, and CashApp are required to report commercial transactions of $600 or more to the Internal Revenue Service, NBC Newsreports.
The change to the tax code was signed into law as part of the American Rescue Plan Act and only applies to charges for commercial goods or services, not personal charges to friends and family.
Amid tax season and the IRS new requirement for individuals and small business owners, financial expert and owner of Williams Accounting & Consulting Donald Williams is offering BLACK ENTERPRISE readers some free advice.
Can you explain how the IRS can now legally require individuals and businesses to report $600 or more of the earnings that they receive on CashApp, Zelle, or Venmo?
“Actually, individuals and businesses were already required to report income received on PayPal, CashApp, and Venmo,” Williams said. “If you receive any type of income you’re required to report it to the IRS. That has never changed, but we do know that people either intentionally or unintentionally neglect to report their earnings.”
“The only change that has occurred is that the American Rescue Plan of 2021specifically outlines these services as “third-party settlement organizations,” stating that these apps or services are supposed to provide businesses and individuals with a 1099-K for all business-related or sales transactions over $600. Companies like PayPal had already been doing this.”
“Zelle, on the other hand, acts more like a messaging service between financial institutions, similar to Western Union. It’s similar to selling goods on the side of the road and then all of the sudden the government comes out with a mandate for people selling on the side of the road.”
“It’s also important to note that this is just for business transactions or sales. If you’re loaning a friend $2,000 you won’t be taxed. However, you want to make sure with your transactions you’re filling out the memo or notes section so that you have a record just in case you accidentally receive a 1099-K for a personal transaction.”
What does this mean for freelancers, contractors, and business owners?
“For individuals and businesses that use CashApp or Venmo for business or work-related transactions, they need to expect to pay taxes on their earnings from these apps no different from if they received a check from a contracting job,” Williams said.
“Freelancers, contractors, and business owners should be used to submitting a W-9 when they receive a new client or project. And at the beginning of the next year, they receive a 1099 for the work that they did during the previous fiscal year. With CashApp or Venmo, they will now receive a 1099-K from CashApp or Venmo to go in with their tax filing.”
Is this new decision a reflection of the IRS targeting small businesses?
“Absolutely not. This is the IRS’ way of enforcing something that was already in place,” Williams said. “Whether you’re a small business or a large corporation, you’re required to pay taxes on your earnings.”
“And businesses usually pay taxes multiple times a year, instead of having their taxes withheld like an employee. One of the most common ways that businesses receive an unexpected huge tax bill is by not paying their taxes properly. This is just the IRS’ way of making sure that there’s a system in place to help business owners because the responsibility falls on the individual or business to report this income. However, now these apps are held accountable as well.”
Are there additional new updates and regulations from the IRS that taxpayers should watch out for this tax season?
“Recently, the IRS announced that it is going to transition away from using a third-party service for facial recognition to help authenticate people creating new online accounts,” Williams explained.
“The IRS will make the transition within the next couple of weeks to prevent larger disruptions to taxpayers during the filing season. The transition will not have an impact on the current tax season.”
Courtesy of Donald Williams of Williams Accounting & Consulting
Donald Williams is a financial expert and trusted business consultant that helps individuals, small businesses owners, and entrepreneurs find and build the financial foundation they need to succeed through his company Williams Accounting & Consulting.
With a Bachelor of Arts degree from Southern University of New Orleans and a Masters of Arts honors degree from Clark Atlanta University, both in accounting, Mr. Williams’ career has been fueled by an industry he loves.
In 2005, he launched Williams Accounting and Consulting in New Orleans. Just one year later, he successfully opened his second location in Atlanta. To date, he has grown his clientele to more than 1,000 individuals and businesses along the Southeast coast.
Insurance Refuses to Cover Surgery for Man With Keloid Scarring Over 75 Percent of His Body
A man is resorting to GoFundMe donations to get surgery to remove the keloids covering his body despite paying for health insurance.
Davontae Stewart launched a GoFundMe asking for financial support to receive the procedure “because my insurance doesn’t cover Keloid surgery’s they consider it Cosmetic,” the petition states.
“It’s hard to even get people to understand what I’m dealing with,” Stewart said.
The scarring started off small during his childhood, Fox 2 Detroitreports.
“Me being a kid, I scratched the chickenpox off and I woke up the next morning, and I had little bubbles over my whole body,” he said.
After a doctor in Detroit suggested that Stewart’s mother have all of the keloids removed at once, they worsened.
“It didn’t work, and they all came back – in stitch form, and they have been getting bigger over time,” Stewart said.
Photos show how the keloids have grown and formed together into large raised scars covering most of his body.
“It’s spiraling out of control; it is already over 75 percent of my body already,” he said. “And it is continuing to grow, and I am scared for my life.”
The scarring has caused his work as a certified nursing assistant to become too strenuous to perform. After becoming a Diesel mechanic at the Universal Technical Institute in Illinois, he also had to quit that job due to physical requirements.
Stewart found hope in the New York Office of Dr. Michael Jones, one of the country’s leading cosmetic and reconstructive surgeons. However, Stewart’s insurance deems the procedure as cosmetic and won’t cover it.
The surgery is expected to cost thousands of dollars. So far, Stewart has raised nearly $18,000 toward his $100,000 goal.
“I am just scared of all of it – it is not that I just have keloids,” he said. “I have keloids and they are continuing to grow.”
Become Fluent In Python With This Nine-Course Bundle
Programming isn’t the language of the future; it’s the language of now, and it’s been that way for quite some time. As coding and programming become even more ingrained in daily life for people around the world, the need for people who know how to program and code will continue to increase. In fact, programming jobs are forecasted to remain a priority in the distant and not-too-distant future.
If you’ve ever wanted to learn to code and program, there isn’t a better time than now. The Complete 2022 Python Programmer Bundle offers all you need to become fluent in the language. For a limited time, you can purchase it for $39. That’s a savings of 97% from its MSRP ($1,791). You’ll get nine courses that span 451 lessons included in this bundle. Individually, each course costs $199.
Python is one of the world’s most relevant programming software, and this bundle is a crash course in all you need to master learning it, starting with the “Introduction to Python Programming” course
The “Intermediate Python for Next Level Programming Expertise” course builds on your understanding of Python and delves further into topics such as generators, decorators, callbacks, higher-order functions, context managers, among others. By the end of the course, students will also be able to understand parallel & asynchronous programming.
With companies such as Google, Facebook, and Microsoft quickly turning to Python, the “Python Programming Bible: Networking, Email, GUI, XML, CGI” teaches students everything they need to know about programming Python applications and websites.
Additional courses include “Learn How to Make a Python ReportLab”, “Web Scraping in Python: Master the Fundamentals”, “Discover Python Programming with Hands-On Bootcamp” and others.
Programming, and more specifically, Python, will remain relevant as it’s not going anywhere soon. Seize the momentum around the specialty and purchase this nine-course bundle today for $39 to become fluent in the popular programming language.
Three Men Plead Guilty to White Supremacist Terror Plot to Cause Race War
Three young white men pleaded guilty to a white supremacist terror plot to disrupt a power grid in hopes of igniting a race war.
Christopher Brenner Cook, 20, of Columbus, Ohio; Jonathan Allen Frost, 24, of West Lafayette, Indiana, and Katy, Texas; and Jackson Matthew Sawall, 22, of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, pleaded guilty last Wednesday to plotting white supremacist-fueled domestic terrorism plot to sow national unrest, NBC Newsreports.
“These defendants conspired to use violence to sow hate, create chaos, and endanger the safety of the American people,” U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio said.
“As this case shows, federal and state law enforcement agencies are dedicated to working together to protect this country against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”
Federal prosecutors in Ohio found that the three men mapped out a plan to disrupt the power grid to cause civil unrest and economic uncertainty. Cook, Frost, and Sawall had a pact to use “suicide necklaces” laced with fentanyl to kill themselves in the event authorities caught them. When officers stopped Sawall and Cook during a traffic stop, Sawall used his necklace but survived.
According to court documents, Frost and Cook met through an online group in 2019. During this time, Frost started sharing his plan to attack the American power grids, KXANreports.
Frost and Cook started recruiting more members and shared book lists promoting white supremacy and neo-Nazism. By late 2019, Sawall joined their efforts to orchestrate their terrorist plot.
The trio planned to attack different electricity substations throughout the country by attacking the grids with high-powered rifles. The men thought attacking the power grids would cause economic unrest and ignite a race war.
The three defendants were each charged with providing material support to terrorism and face a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
Cousin Charged With Killing NYC Woman Found in Storage Container
The cousin of a single mother found unresponsive inside of a storage container in the Bronx, New York, has been charged with her horrific murder.
The body of 35-year-old Nisaa Walcott was found Friday across from a self-storage facility where people are known to dump “unwanted items,” CBS2 reported.
On Saturday, 21-year-old Khalid Barrow, and Walcott’s cousin, was arrested and charged with murder and concealment of a human corpse. Upon locating Barrow, police found “financial documents” that belonged to Walcott. Her brother, Eugene Butler, had filed a missing person’s report.
Authorities are investigating if Walcott, a beautician, was murdered on February 16, the last day she was seen.
”We’re letting the police do their work. We’re still uncertain what happened,” Walcott’s sister-in-law Anginette Johnson said. ”We’re just in shock right now.”
Johnson says her husband, Eugene, “realized Wednesday night…something was wrong. She wasn’t answering her phone at all,” she recalled.
Eugene said he last spoke to his sister on Valentine’s Day, ABC 7 NY reported. But after they spoke, he started to receive strange text messages from her number. He knew it wasn’t his sister because she always picked up the phone.
The next day Eugene filed a missing person’s report. That same day that Walcott’s son received a text message saying his mother was going out of town for business and that she was leaving Khalid Barrow in charge.
But Johnson said Walcott would have never left her son. When the teen arrived home, he saw Barrow cleaning their home and the apartment smelled like bleach.
A video from February 18 allegedly shows Barrow dragging a plastic bin to the roof of the building. Seven days later, he returned with another man who helped him carry the container out of the building. Surveillance footage shows a man dumping the bin in the Bronx where Walcott’s body was found.
While the family knows that Walcott is a homicide victim, they still haven’t been told the cause of her death.
”The people who killed her are just cruel to put her in a container like that,” Anginette johnson told “the New yOrk Daily News.”
