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In the ongoing scandal involving suspended cases at the Houston Police Department, a man connected to an unresolved sexual assault case is currently incarcerated for an unrelated murder.
The family of the murder victim now questions whether their loved one would still be alive if HPD had not suspended the original case.
In July 2023, Arkavious Parks planned to celebrate his best friend’s birthday but tragically lost his life that night while intervening in an altercation outside a club.
His fiancée, Janel Cox, is left to raise their son alone, reflecting on what could have been if the murder had been prevented.
Cox initially believed justice would be served with the swift arrest of a suspect in Parks’ murder. However, she was stunned to learn that the same individual is linked to a sexual assault case from 2021, which went uninvestigated due to HPD’s case suspensions.
Had action been taken in 2021, Parks might still be alive, Cox lamented.
Records indicate that the sexual assault was reported in June 2021, with a DNA match identified in January 2022. However, follow-up investigation did not occur.
Now, Cox grapples with the pain of losing her fiancé and the implications of the unresolved sexual assault case.
Houston police have since located the victim of the sexual assault, and she is scheduled for a forensic interview. The suspect, meanwhile, currently faces charges only in connection with Parks’ murder.