Marquis Sams

Marquis Sams was a gentle and devoutly religious 20-year-old Black man with a bashful smile and a deep love for his family. Raised in an exceptionally tight-knit Miami neighborhood where his family had lived for generations, Marquis knew nearly everyone he passed on the street. He was one of eight siblings—Joy, Demetrious, Markell, Shonda, Gregory (JoJo), Michael, and Chanel—and was adored by his great-aunt, great-grandmother, and grandmother, who were instrumental in raising him. Those who knew him best remembered him as someone who never cursed, complained, or spoke ill of anyone. He was a doting father to his beloved daughter, working hard at a downtown restaurant and attending college to build a future for her.

In his teens, Marquis was a promising basketball player at Coral Gables Senior High School. However, when his brothers formed a band, he selflessly gave up his basketball ambitions to join them, a decision he never regretted because it meant supporting his family. He was a man of simple pleasures who enjoyed singing along to everything from Mahalia Jackson to Michael Jackson. His mentor from the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, whom he met at age 15, described him as having a gentle kindness and dignified manner that made the world warmer. He was not one for trouble, preferring to stay home on weekends.

In the early morning hours of Wednesday, April 2, 2014, Marquis was sitting in the driver's seat of his white Chevrolet Cavalier, parked outside a home at 151 NE 63rd Street in Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood. He was talking with a friend, 19-year-old Wilneka Pennyman, who was standing just outside the car. Shortly before 2:00 a.m., a vehicle, later described by police as an SUV, pulled alongside them and someone inside opened fire, riddling both Marquis and Wilneka with bullets.

The sound of the gunfire, a loud series of "boom, boom, boom," woke neighbors, who were left terrified. Marquis died instantly in his car. Wilneka, who was shot multiple times, managed to run a few steps toward a nearby house before she collapsed. She was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries. Police towed Marquis’s car away with his body still behind the wheel. Investigators believed Marquis was the intended target and that Wilneka was tragically caught in the crossfire, though they were unsure of the motive.

The Miami Police Department launched an investigation into the double homicide. Detective Fernando Bosch, who took on the case, described the victims as "two very innocent victims." He, along with other investigators, came to believe the shooting was a case of mistaken identity, that the killers were "looking for a much lesser man." The suspects' vehicle was last seen speeding westbound on NE 63rd Street. Despite pleas from police and family for the community’s help, the case grew cold.

The loss devastated the Sams family and the entire community. Marquis’s brother, Markell, had just been accepted into the police academy when the murder occurred. He later became a City of Miami police officer, stating that the tragedy taught him to be more sentimental toward people experiencing loss because he had been through it himself. Marquis’s grandmother, Joanne Sams, spoke of her nightly tears and her frequent calls to Detective Bosch, hoping for a break in the case. The family’s grief was compounded by the senselessness of the act against a young man known for his peaceful nature.

Years after the shooting, the case remains unsolved. In 2017, just before his retirement, Detective Bosch made a public appeal, expressing his desire to bring justice to the families of Marquis and Wilneka. The families continue to hope for closure that an arrest would bring. As of June 2017, no suspects had been publicly identified, and no arrests had been made. A reward is available for information leading to an arrest. Police urge anyone with information to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS, where they can remain anonymous.