Nearly two decades after a New York woman vanished in South Florida, the man on trial for her murder was found guilty in a Broward County courtroom. NBC6’s Niko Clemmons reports
Nearly two decades after a New York woman vanished in South Florida, the man on trial for her murder was found guilty in a Broward County courtroom.
A Broward County jury found Kendrick Williams guilty of Stepha Henry's murder nearly two decades ago in South Florida. Williams was charged with her murder in 2007 and denied killing the 22-year-old, but prosecutors say the DNA blood evidence found in the car he originally purchased in Brooklyn and later denied ever owning or driving played an important role in the prosecution of the case.
Henry’s mother, father and sister were in court when the verdict was read. They spoke with NBC6 Friday afternoon.
“It's literally a weight being lifted off your shoulders as soon as you hear that guilty verdict,” Shola Henry said.“It's just a relief and we get to exhale and finally breathe because we know that she got the justice that she deserved.”
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The tragic series of events that led to Henry's disappearance and death started Memorial Day weekend in 2007. The aspiring attorney from Brooklyn was celebrating her younger sister's birthday in Miami.
Investigators say Henry and Williams went to a nightclub in Sunrise and she was never seen again after that night.
Where she was killed is still a mystery. Williams told police he left the club alone, but detectives found evidence proving they drove away from the club together.
“We believe he got exactly what he deserved,” Henry said. “We knew it all had to be him because there’s no one in the world that could hate such a beautiful and vibrant girl.”
Shola Henry describes her older sister as vibrant, a ball of fun, intelligent and a powerhouse. Henry was a graduate of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. She would’ve turned 40 during the trial.
Years later, the family says they're at peace.
“For 17 years not knowing, till this day we won’t know what happened to her, but at least we know who did it is behind bars,” Henry said. “Just imagining the type of attorney she would’ve been, we believe that not our family lost America lost a leader, someone who would’ve been a force to be reckoned with in the judicial system.”
“I hope this verdict has finally given the family of Stepha Henry some sense of justice after a long and painful wait,” Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said. “I know that nothing, even this verdict, can ever replace the senseless loss of a young daughter whose life was so full of promise
Williams will be sentenced Nov. 8.
