In the winter of 1994, a young man's life was abruptly cut short in what remains an unsolved mystery. Leonard Howard, a 23-year-old Black male, was fatally shot in his own home in southeast Denver on the evening of February 7th. The sequence of events that led to his tragic death began to unfold at approximately 10 o'clock that night when he and a friend arrived at his townhome located at 9825 East Girard Avenue.
Upon their arrival, they discovered the front door was inexplicably open.
Sensing something was amiss, Howard entered the residence to investigate, proceeding to a second-floor bedroom. It was there that he was confronted by an intruder and tragically shot and killed. His friend, who had remained downstairs, was unable to provide a description of the assailant or any vehicle they may have used to flee the scene, leaving investigators with very few leads to pursue.
In the years following the incident, the Denver Police Department has been left to ponder the motive behind this violent act. Detectives have considered the possibility that Howard may have been the unfortunate victim of a burglary that went horribly wrong, his unexpected return interrupting a crime in progress. Alternatively, they have also entertained the theory that he may have been specifically targeted by individuals with whom he had personal conflicts. Despite their efforts and a public plea from his mother, Pearl Winn, for anyone with information to come forward, the case has grown cold. To this day, no arrests have been made, and no suspects have been publicly identified in the murder of Leonard Howard, leaving his family with unanswered questions and a profound sense of loss.
