Mom seeks answers in son's murder

[Blancanieves]

More than two years after her son's death, a mother is asking for help to solve his murder.

"Someone had to see something, they just aren't saying," Kathy Kelly said. "Somebody saw it and they should come forward."

Kelly's son, Demarcus Kelly, 23, died shortly after 4 a.m. on Feb. 9, 2008, at the Post Cereal Sportsman's Club at 637 Hubbard St. Battle Creek police said Demarcus Kelly was shot several times in the back while he was on the dance floor during a party.

Between 50 and 80 people were inside the club when the shooting occurred, and police said they have few witnesses to help them with the case. A weapon was never located.

"It's going to take an eyewitness to come forward to say who did it," Detective Randy Reinstein said Monday.

He said investigators have narrowed possible suspects to a few people, but there was not physical evidence recovered to link one person to the shooting.

Police believe that Demarcus Kelly had a confrontation earlier in the evening with members of a street gang outside a grocery store on North Avenue.

"This could have been retaliation from a fight earlier in the evening," Reinstein said.

Kathy Kelly, who lives in South Carolina, said her son lived for years with his grandmother in Battle Creek before he was killed.

"It was just shocking, I couldn't believe it," she said during a visit last weekend to Battle Creek. "I was in shock and I didn't break down until I got here."

She knows little about the case other than the belief that someone must have information.

"They had to see something -- they are just being quiet about it," she said.

Adam Kelly said his nephew wasn't a bad guy and there is no reason his killers should still be on the loose.

"If you were moving a couch and he saw you, he would run out to help," Adam Kelly said. "He was a very good nephew."

Adam Kelly said someone ran up and fired shots into his nephew's back on a dance floor, and someone saw what happened but they aren't talking for a reason.

"It's a mindset," he said, "of don't tell. Don't be a snitch.

"The police know who did it, but they need witnesses to stand up, and that is where this is deadlocked. And not finding the killer encourages others that they can get away with it. You have got some monsters in this community, and there are a lot of cases that are not solved because of that and there will be a lot more."

Anyone with information is asked to call Silent Observer at 964-3888.

Kathy Kelly said information won't bring back her son, but it will help her.

"I just want to know the person who did this," she said.

[Blancanieves]

http://www.wwmt.com/news/battle-1346856-shot-creek.html