Eric Watkins, a 33-year-old African American man, was shot twice and killed on March 18, 1995, in Chicago’s Chatham neighborhood during an attempted armed robbery. His killing was one of several violent crimes later attributed to Ralph Harris, who carried out a series of murders, armed robberies and sexual assaults in the same area.

Reports say Harris’s crimes spanned several years and involved victims of different ages and genders; his actions were linked to a severe drug addiction. Harris was apprehended and charged in connection with multiple murders and other violent offenses. He received a death sentence that was later commuted to life in prison, and legal proceedings against him included numerous counts for murder, attempted murder, armed robbery and sexual assault.

Watkins’s family and the Chatham community were deeply affected by his killing. Does anyone have memories of Eric Watkins or information about that night in March 1995 that could add to the record?