Marley Rowe

Marley Rowe was a hardworking 23-year-old man, a bricklayer by trade, who was devoted to his young son, Princeton. His mother, Sherri Bonnallie, remembered him as a "good guy" who was not involved in crime or violence. "He wasn't a gangster," she said. "He wasn't somebody that carried weapons. He was a bricklayer, a father, a son, a grandson." Marley, a male with no criminal record, was focused on his family and his future, making the violent and sudden end to his life a profound shock to all who knew him.

The new year was only a few hours old when Marley became Hamilton, Ontario's first homicide victim of 2014. In the early morning of January 1, he was at an after-hours party in a building near the corner of Sherman Avenue North and Barton Street East. An estimated 50 to 60 people were in attendance. At approximately 4:40 a.m., police and paramedics received several 911 calls reporting a shooting in the back parking lot of the residence. When they arrived, most of the partygoers had already fled the scene. First responders found Marley suffering from a single, devastating gunshot wound to the head. A handful of people had stayed behind and were attempting to provide first aid. Marley was rushed to Hamilton General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The Hamilton Police Service immediately launched a major investigation. Detectives believe there were likely several eyewitnesses to the shooting among the dozens of people who were at the party, but a widespread lack of cooperation from those individuals has been a significant obstacle. Investigators have long believed that Marley was not the intended victim. The prevailing police theory is that his murder was a tragic case of mistaken identity, an act of retaliation for an earlier incident that had nothing to do with him. He was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

In the wake of her son's death, Sherri Bonnallie became a powerful voice against gun violence in her community. In 2011, even before Marley's death, she had started a community initiative called Give Proof to Our Youth. After the tragedy, she channeled her grief into advocacy, speaking at rallies and supporting city programs aimed at getting guns off the street. "I'm trying to change this negative into a positive," she said in May 2015. "But it's still hard. It's still so close to my heart. He was my baby." The family's focus remains on Princeton, the little boy who was left without a father.

For years, Marley's family has held onto hope for a breakthrough. His mother started an online petition demanding justice and closure, stating, "My Son will not be a statistic NO MORE!" She pleaded with those who hold the "Silence in our Streets" to come forward. "Don't be fooled there is someone out there that knows, keeping Silent is not the answer," she wrote. Her efforts reflect a family's unending pain and their desperate need for answers about why their loved one was taken from them.

The investigation into Marley Rowe's murder is now considered a cold case, but it has never been closed. The Hamilton Police Service continues to list his case on its unsolved homicides page, and a reward of $50,000 is still available for information that leads to an arrest. As of May 2015, police reiterated their belief that people in the community have the information needed to solve the case. They continue to appeal for those witnesses to finally break their silence and help bring justice to an innocent young man and his grieving family.

Anyone with information about the homicide of Marley Rowe is urged to contact the Hamilton Police Service Major Crime Unit at 905-546-2458. To provide information anonymously, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.