Sep 28, 2006 10:01 pm US/Central
Arrest In 1990 Murder Relieves Mother, Police
by Mary Tan
Minneapolis (WCCO) ―
Cricket Potts describes her pain every time she thinks about the loss of her youngest son Marcus, who was murdered in north Minneapolis Dec. 15, 1990.
"I'm still hurting, I'm still hurting," said Potts. "I just took one day at a time. Whatever was thrown at me, I took it. And some days were good days, some days were terrible days."
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.
According to police, a child who lived above the victim's duplex told investigators she heard Marcus call out to his mother and his father, and then heard an adult male state: "Now you are about to die."
"Fifteen damn years, I got him, put my cuffs on him," said Lt. Lee Edwards, who was one of the first officers to the scene that day. "Yesterday, the fruits of our labor paid off."
Edwards said, throughout the years, he never forgot the case and told Cricket he never stopped thinking about Marcus, adding "Our department does not give up."
Police say they cracked the case after a witness retracted Fort's alibi and DNA evidence in the suspect's home was shown to match Potts'.
Cricket and her family are now one step closer to the closure they've so badly wanted, but she admits there are still many questions she continues to ask.
"Why didn't you just beat him up? Threaten him? Threaten, or even kill his Mom? It was like he was in some kind of rage," said Cricket, adding that while she can never forgive Marcus's killer, she's still relieved an arrest has been made. "I went to the cemetery yesterday, told Marcus he could rest now. It's been a long time coming, way overdue."
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