A man convicted of killing a New York woman who disappeared in South Florida nearly two decades ago will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Life in prison is the sentence handed down to Kendrick Williams, 49, on Friday in a Broward County court, for the 2007 murder of Stepha Henry, 22.
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Henry vanished after going to a nightclub in Sunrise in 2007. Her body still hasn’t been found.
“He’s very wicked and evil, and she didn’t deserve what he did to her,” said Sylvia Henry, Stepha’s mother. “I know that she suffered and that’s very painful for me as a mother to know that my daughter suffered.”
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A Broward County jury convicted Williams of murder in September after prosecutors showed evidence that Henry’s DNA was found in Williams' car.
Henry’s mother, sister and aunt took the stand Friday to face Williams and share their pain.
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“I’ve lost so many moments with my sister I can never get back. She was a bright and shining star, an aspiring lawyer with plans,” said Shola Henry, Stepha’s aunt.
“Stepha doesn’t exist, you’re fighting for existence, you not existing is closure for me,” Stepha’s aunt said, staring at Williams in court.
The family says Henry had a bright future, having graduated from college. She was taking the LSAT and planned to become a lawyer. She lived in Brooklyn but had come down to Miami that weekend 17 years ago to celebrate her sister’s birthday.
“For us, we will never truly have inner peace, we want her back but we can’t have her. That’s the only way we could be satisfied,” said Shola Henry.
The Henry family is desperate to know where Stepha’s body is. They hope one day she is found so they can lay her to rest.
