Do you know who murdered Markedra Houston in 2020? On the evening of April 4, 2020, in Knoxville, Tennessee, a vehicle crash on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue revealed a deeper tragedy. Markedra Houston, a 32-year-old African-American woman, was found inside the vehicle, not just a victim of a crash, but of a violent act. She had sustained gunshot wounds, and despite being rushed to the UT Medical Center, she succumbed to her injuries. One of the bullets had struck a main artery, leading to fatal blood loss.
Witnesses in the area reported hearing the sound of gunshots just moments before her car veered off the road and collided with a building.
Known affectionately as 'Kee,' Markedra was a graduate of Austin East High School's class of 2006. She was a mother to four children who were the center of her world. Her love for her family was evident to all who knew her, and she was also known for her skills as a cook, having worked at BJ's Deli and Omar's Market. Her sudden and violent death left her four children without their mother and her extended family devastated and searching for answers. The impact on her children was immense, leaving them to grapple with the senseless loss of their amazing parent.
In the wake of her death, the Knoxville Police Department opened a homicide investigation. They believe the shooting was not a random act of violence but stemmed from a confrontation that had taken place at a residence nearby. Despite the ongoing investigation, no arrests have been made, and no suspects have been publicly identified in connection with her murder. Markedra's family has been proactive in the search for justice, distributing flyers in the neighborhood where she was shot, hoping that someone will come forward with information that could lead to an arrest. They continue to plead for closure and for those with any knowledge of the events that transpired that night to contact the authorities.
