Murder of Jazmine Barnes

Murder of Jazmine Barnes
Sketch of the fictional white man who shot Jazmine Barnes
Location	Houston, Texas
Date	December 30, 2018
Attack type	Murder
Victim	Jazmine Barnes, 7-year-old black female
Assailants	Larry Woodruffe, black male, Eric Black Jr., black male

Victim

Jazmine Barnes

Jazmine Barnes

Assailants

Eric Black Jr.

Eric Black Jr.

Larry Woodruffe

Larry Woodruffe

Alleged white killer

One of the car occupants described the killer as white:

Washington's oldest daughter, Alexis Dilbert, was in the front seat. She told CNN last week she remembered making eye contact with a man who pulled up close to them. "His eyes were blue. His face was kind of thin and pale," she said. Based on the family's description, investigators released a composite sketch of the suspect: He was white with a thin build, in his 30s to 40s, with a 5 o'clock shadow.

The mother and driver of the car also alleged that the killer was white:

[LaPorsha] Washington said she suspects the attack may have been racially motivated. She said she didn't have tinted windows, and the gunman could see "a black mother with four beautiful children, girls, in this car."

The allegations brought much media attention to the murder, including:

• Activist Shaun King raising a $100,000 for information on the killer and eventually accusing Robert Cantrell, a white man, of being the murderer. Cantrell later committed suicide.
• DeAndre Hopkins, player for the Texans, donating his next gameday check to her family
• Actress Sophia Bush sharing the story on Instagram

Even after the real murderers were found Shaun King persisted in slandering Robert Cantrell, saying "We’ve had 20 people call or email us and say he is a racist, violent (expletive) and always has been. Just tell me everything you know" and casting doubt on the facts of the case with "The men who were arrested shot her. That I know. But I’ve studied this case for nearly 60 hours. And something’s not right. Key details are missing in the story. I no longer trust the timeline."