Brenda Whitaker was a caring and loving mother of two sons, remembered by those close to her as a beautiful person inside and out. The 34-year-old African-American woman from Durham, North Carolina, had attended Riverside High School. Her family described her as a good person, and in the wake of her death, they were left struggling to understand who would want to cause her harm.
The first moments of Good Friday, March 25, 2016, were shattered by violence on a residential street in Durham. Around 12:20 a.m., Durham police officers patrolling near the 100 block of Lodge Street heard the distinct sound of gunshots. Residents heard them, too. One neighbor, Fontella Bass, recalled hearing a quick succession of shots, "Pow, pow, pow, pow, pow," immediately followed by a loud "boom."
Another resident, whose minivan was parked on the street, said he didn't hear the gunfire but was alerted when his car alarm suddenly went off.
When officers arrived on Lodge Street, they found a car that had crashed into a parked minivan and a rail. Inside the wrecked vehicle, they discovered the bodies of Brenda Whitaker and a man, 40-year-old Larry Alford, also of Durham. Both had suffered fatal gunshot wounds. The Durham Police Department quickly determined that the two had been shot before their car crashed, and their deaths were classified as a double homicide.
The investigation began immediately, with detectives canvassing the neighborhood. For some who lived there, the violence was frightening but not entirely shocking. Ms. Bass told reporters that hearing gunshots was not uncommon in the area and that there had been several other violent incidents nearby since she had moved to the street in 2014. In response to the double killing, the Durham Police Department increased patrols in the neighborhood to reassure the community.
In the days following the shooting, police noted that both Brenda and Larry Alford had prior criminal records. Alford’s history included robbery and drug charges, while Whitaker’s included charges of assault and larceny. However, investigators did not state whether they believed the victims' pasts had any connection to their deaths. No motive for the killings has ever been publicly released.
Years have passed, but no arrests have been made in the murders of Brenda Whitaker and Larry Alford. Their case remains unsolved, leaving their families without answers or justice. They were the seventh and eighth of 38 people killed in homicides in Durham in 2016. The investigation is still considered open and ongoing.
The Durham Police Department continues to ask for the public’s help. Anyone who may have information about the shooting that occurred on Lodge Street in the early hours of March 25, 2016, is urged to contact Investigator Q. Tait at (919) 560-4440, ext. 29332. Anonymous tips can be submitted to CrimeStoppers at (919) 683-1200, and information leading to an arrest may be eligible for a cash reward.
