In the fall of 2010, the life of 31-year-old Terasa LaJoyce Evans was tragically cut short, leaving a community in mourning and a family searching for answers. Known to her loved ones as 'Tracy,' she was a Black / African American woman described as exuding warmth and joy, a devoted mother to her daughter, Jailyn Sekou. Her vibrant personality and infectious smile left a lasting impression on all who knew her.
She was a pillar of strength and positivity, building her life on a foundation of family, friendship, and faith.
On the morning of October 6, 2010, in Landover, Maryland, a hooded individual approached Terasa as she was loading kickball gear into her car and fired several shots, striking her in the head. The assailant fled without taking her purse or her vehicle, suggesting a targeted attack rather than a random act of violence. Her untimely death occurred just two days after her divorce from her estranged husband, Ronald D. Boyd, a professional boxer, was finalized.
The investigation into Terasa's murder quickly focused on her ex-husband. Five months prior to her death, in April 2010, Boyd had violently assaulted her outside a nightclub in Mitchellville. During the attack, he choked her to the point of lifting her off the ground and punched her with such force that he broke her cheekbone, an injury that required reconstructive surgery. Fearing for her life, Terasa had sought and obtained a protective order against Boyd. She even wrote a letter to elected officials and news agencies, expressing her terror and her fear of becoming another domestic violence statistic.
In a tragic turn of events, her fears were realized. On the same day that Terasa was murdered, police arrested Boyd on an open warrant for violating the protective order she had taken out against him. While he was considered the primary suspect in her slaying, no charges have ever been filed against him or anyone else in connection with her death.
Despite Terasa's absence, prosecutors moved forward with the assault case against Boyd. In a poignant legal move, the judge allowed her previous testimony from the protective order hearing to be used in the trial. Through her own words from beyond the grave, Terasa was instrumental in securing a conviction against the man who had caused her so much fear and pain. Boyd was found guilty of first-degree assault and sentenced for the brutal beating. However, the question of who was responsible for ending the life of a beloved mother and friend remains unanswered, her murder an unsolved case that continues to haunt her loved ones.
