In the quiet neighborhood of Arlington-West End in Birmingham, Alabama, the evening of December 16, 2023, was shattered by the sound of gunfire. Responding to a 911 call from concerned neighbors, Birmingham Police Department officers arrived at a residence in the 1200 block of Princeton Avenue Southwest around 5:42 p.m. Inside, they discovered the unresponsive body of 31-year-old Willie Sanchez Henderson.
He had sustained a fatal gunshot wound and was pronounced deceased at the scene by Birmingham Fire and Rescue Services.
Willie Sanchez Henderson, a Black/African American male, was born on October 31, 1992. Those who knew him described him as a loving and good-hearted man with a goofy personality. He was a father to three biological sons but had taken on the role of raising seven children. He had been employed at Popeyes and a Dollar General warehouse.
The initial investigation into Henderson's death suggested that the shooting was a targeted act. For weeks, the case remained under investigation with no immediate suspects taken into custody. However, the Birmingham Police Department's diligent work led to a breakthrough. On January 23, 2024, the department's Crime Reduction Team located and arrested 20-year-old Augustus Artez Benson Jr. in North Birmingham.
Authorities charged Benson with murder in connection with Henderson's death. It was revealed that Benson was an acquaintance of one of Henderson's family members. Following his arrest, Augustus Artez Benson Jr. was held in the Jefferson County Jail without bond. Family and friends mourned the loss of Willie Henderson at a visitation on December 26, 2023, followed by a graveside service at Oakland Cemetery in Birmingham the next day.
