On a tragic evening in Hampton, Virginia, the life of 29-year-old LaKeia Moneke Griffin, a Black/African American woman, was cut short in a brutal act of violence. On November 27, 2012, as Griffin returned to her home on Mason Street with her four young daughters, she was fatally shot. The perpetrator was her ex-boyfriend, 31-year-old Traer Ramon Tisdale.
The events of that evening unfolded as Griffin and her children, aged 12, 10, 8, and 5, arrived home.
Apprehensive, Griffin asked her daughters if they had seen Tisdale outside. Despite their assurances that he was not there, Tisdale emerged from a wooded area and approached their vehicle. Griffin and her children managed to get back inside the car, but Tisdale fired five shots through the window, striking her. His reported words during the assault were, 'I'm supposed to be the only one in your life.' Despite her grave injuries, Griffin managed to drive to West Avenue seeking help. A police officer who arrived at the scene was informed by Griffin that Tisdale had shot her. She was transported to a local hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.
In the immediate aftermath, law enforcement quickly identified Tisdale as the suspect, and he was arrested early the following morning. He was charged with first-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, possession of a firearm by a felon, and shooting into an occupied vehicle. The community was further shaken when, in January 2013, the house on Mason Street where Griffin was murdered was intentionally set on fire in an act of arson.
In March 2014, Traer Ramon Tisdale entered an Alford plea to the first-degree murder charge, maintaining his innocence while acknowledging that the prosecution had enough evidence to convict him. He pleaded guilty to the firearms charges. In August of that same year, a Hampton Circuit Judge sentenced Tisdale to life in prison for the murder, with an additional six years for the related firearm offenses. During his sentencing, Tisdale expressed remorse for his actions and the profound loss he inflicted upon Griffin's family. The four daughters left behind are now being raised by their maternal grandmother.
