Byron Blackwell was remembered by a loved one as a good person and a dear friend. The 52-year-old white man’s life was cut short on the evening of Saturday, April 20, 2024, when he was shot and killed inside a home in Fort Worth, Texas.
The incident took place at a residence on Northfork Road, where Blackwell lived with his girlfriend. Her 31-year-old son, Trace Hemphill, had been told to leave the home weeks earlier but had returned that night to do his laundry. According to
Hemphill’s grandmother, who was also at the house, the evening began peacefully. She told police that Hemphill and Blackwell appeared to be getting along when she went to bed for the night.
Sometime later, the atmosphere in the house shifted tragically. An arrest affidavit states that Blackwell was standing near a bedroom doorway when Hemphill shot him in the head. When Hemphill's mother asked him why he had shot Blackwell, he allegedly replied that Blackwell had told him to "hush, be quiet."
After the shooting, Hemphill fled the residence on foot. Police were called to the scene and launched an investigation that quickly identified Hemphill as the suspect. He was located and taken into custody the following day.
Trace Hemphill was arrested on Sunday, April 21, and charged with the murder of Byron Blackwell. He was booked into the Tarrant County Jail. As of April 2024, the case was proceeding through the legal system, with Hemphill being held on a $200,000 bond.
