Sep 28, 2006 11:12 pm US/Central
Mother Of Murdered Boy Speaks Out About Arrest
by Caroline Lowe
Minneapolis (WCCO) ―
On a cold winter morning sixteen years ago, a distraught Cricket Potts buried her youngest child, Marcus.
"He took my life away. He destroyed the family. He destroyed everything," said Potts about her son's killer.
Sixteen years ago, police say Marcus was murdered after he allegedly surprised a burglar they suspect was Eugene Fort. According to the criminal complaint, Marcus was stabbed 44 times in the neck, upper back and shoulders. Four wounds completely severed the spine.
Wednesday night, Cricket Potts visited her son's gravesite.
"I cleaned off the stone, put some flowers around there and I told him, 'We got him.' I said, 'You can rest in peace now. You can rest in peace.'"
It was a day she has prayed for since 1990.
"I wanted to say to the Lord, 'Don't let me die until this case gets solved,'" said Potts, who is grateful for the relentless dedication of Minneapolis homicide detectives who refused to give up on solving her son's murder, particularly Lt. Lee Edwards.
Edwards was a rookie cop back then when he showed up at her son's horrific murder scene.
"I definitely know it was personal for him," said Potts.
As she prepares for the next steps toward justice for her son, Potts finds comfort holding onto his favorite sports clothes and a trophy. His basketball shirt was number 11, the same age Marcus was when he was so brutally murdered.
The man accused of killing Marcus will go on trial soon. Potts says she will be there every day.
"I just see a person who is evil. A person who could just do what he did," said Potts. When asked if she had a chance to say something to him, what she would say, Potts considered for a second.
"Personally, what I would say to him? I hate you ... I hate you. I hate you."
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