In the late summer of 2017, a grim discovery was made in Madison, Alabama, that left a family and community in mourning. On August 31, 21-year-old Damian 'Blake' Ricketts was found shot to death inside a car, alongside another young man, Devin Edward Richard, who was 22. The incident was quickly determined to be a double homicide, launching an intensive investigation by the Limestone County Sheriff's Office.
The investigation into the deaths of the two young men led authorities to a
suspect. A 19-year-old, Carlos Heard, was arrested and charged in connection with the double homicide. The community was left to grapple with the senseless loss of two young lives as the legal proceedings against the accused began to unfold.
Damian Blake Ricketts, born on June 7, 1996, in Huntsville, Alabama, was the son of Damian Chester Ricketts and Christy Marie Sorrow Ricketts. He was a graduate of Hazel Green High School. His untimely death was a profound loss to his family, including his sister, Brittan Savannah Ricketts, and his extended family and friends who remembered him as a loving and true friend. The family held a visitation and funeral service for Damian in the days following his death, where they were joined by a community grieving the violent end to a young life.
