April Lester

On Christmas Eve morning in 2008, a horrific discovery was made inside a home on the west side of Columbus, Ohio, that left a family shattered and a community in shock. April Lester, a 29-year-old African-American mother, was found shot to death in an upstairs bedroom alongside her 22-year-old boyfriend, Jeremy Taylor. The tragedy was compounded by the fact that April was pregnant at the time of her death, and that six children, including three of her own, were asleep in the house when the killings occurred.

Originally from Dayton, Ohio, April was born on April 26, 1979. She was a mother to three children: Ayonna, Muhammed Blount, and Tymari Lester. Her parents, Richard Lester and Shirley Bush, had passed away before her. Friends remembered her as a special person who would not be forgotten. She had moved to Columbus and was living with Taylor in a house at 381 South Hague Avenue.

The night of December 23rd bled into the early morning of Christmas Eve as an unknown gunman entered the home. While the children, aged between two and twelve, slept soundly, both April and Jeremy were shot multiple times. Neighbors later told investigators they heard gunshots during the night but did not call the police. The house remained quiet until mid-morning on December 24th, when two of April's daughters went to wake their mother.

Finding April unresponsive with blood on her face, the children panicked. They ran several blocks from their home to find a family friend, Terrence Zeno, to get help. "They said they woke up in the morning and they went upstairs and tried to wake her up and she had blood on her face and was dead," Zeno recounted. Police were called to the scene shortly after 9:30 a.m. and discovered the bodies, immediately treating the deaths as a double homicide. The children, who included April's three kids and three of her relatives, were unharmed.

The Columbus Division of Police began an intensive investigation. Detectives learned that in the time leading up to his death, Jeremy Taylor had seemed fearful. "He was very afraid of somebody out there," Columbus police Detective Kathie Justice stated in a 2012 interview. However, Taylor had never specified who he was afraid of, leaving investigators without a clear motive for the brutal slayings. No suspects were publicly identified in the immediate aftermath, and no arrests have been made in the years since.

The case has grown cold, but detectives remain convinced that it is solvable. They believe people in the community have information that could finally bring justice for April, her unborn child, and Jeremy. "It's just a matter of getting the right individuals to make the phone calls to us and the cooperation. People do know what happened," Detective Justice said. The loss of April was deeply felt by her loved ones, who held funeral services for her on January 3, 2009.

As of April 2012, the double homicide of April Lester and Jeremy Taylor remains unsolved. Their families, and especially April's children who have had to grow up without their mother, are still waiting for answers and for the person responsible to be held accountable. The Columbus Police Department continues to seek information from the public. Anyone with details about the case is urged to contact Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-8477.