I WOULD ASK FOR SAMUEL,
"UNCLE.
-- ODEN LLOYD'S UNCLE.
GOOD MORNING.
FIRST, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE
JURY.
THANK EVERYBODY WHO WORKED ON
THE CASE.
MY NEPHEW, ODEN, WAS BROUGHT
INTO MY LIFE.
HE WAS TWO YEARS OLD AND HE HAS
BEEN WITH ME EVER SINCE.
HE MEANT A LOT TO ME.
TO SEE HOW HE GREW.
THE RESPECT HE HAD.
THE TOUGHEST THING FOR ME IS
THAT I WON'T GET TO SEE HIM HAVE
A CHILD AND TO TREAT THAT CHILD
LIKE HE DID MY OWN.
MY SON CALLED HIM UNCLE.
THE WAY HE INTERACTED WITH HIM
WAS SPECIAL TO ME.
THE WAY HE TREATED HIS FRIENDS,
HIS FAMILY, ESPECIALLY HIS
SISTERS.
FROM THE AGE OF FOUR, HE HAD A
BIG STATURE.
EVERYONE KNEW -- TO DO
SOMETHING, YOU HAD TO SEE HIM.
AND THE WAY HE CARED FOR THEM
WAS THEIR SPECIAL TO ME.
-- VERY SPECIAL TO ME.
A LOT OF PEOPLE WON'T SEE FROM
THE OUTSIDE THE VALUE IN THE
RICHES HE HAD.
IT WASN'T MATERIAL.
THE WORLD HE POSSESSED.
A LOT OF TIMES WE LOOK ON THE
OUTSIDE AND FORGET ON THE INSIDE
THE PERSON THEY ARE.
HE WAS A GREAT PERSON.
AND I AM SORRY FOR WHERE I STAND
TODAY.
BUT I KNOW THAT THE AMOUNT OF
TIME I HAD WITH HIM WAS SPECIAL
AND HE WILL ALWAYS BE WITH ME.
THE LOVE HE HAD FOR HIS MOTHER,
MY SISTER.
HOW STRONG SHE IS.
I JUST WANT TO -- EVERYONE TO
KNOW HOW GOOD A PERSON HE WAS.
THE SMILE HE HAD ON HIS FACE WAS
THAT SMILE.
HE GOT INTO A LOT OF TROUBLE
WITH ME WITH THAT SMILE.
I JUST HAD TO SAY THIS.
GO AHEAD.
BUT HE WAS A PRIDEFUL, PRIDEFUL
GUY.
NEVER WANT YOU TO GIVE HIM
ANYTHING WITHOUT HIM EARNING IT.
THE CAR THAT I DRIVE TODAY WAS
MY NEPHEWS.
HE DID NOT WANT ME TO GIVE IT TO
HIM, HE WANTED TO EARN IT.
SO HE RODE HIS BIKE EVERY DAY TO
WORK.
UNLESS IT WAS RAINING HE WOULD
SAY, UNCLE, CAN GET A RIGHT TO
THE STATION? FROM DORCHESTER TO
NORWOOD, HE WOULD JUMP ON HIS
BIKE AND GO TO WORK.
BECAUSE THAT IS THE KIND OF
FAMILY WE ARE.
WE WORK FOR WHAT WE WANT.
AND SO I THINK EVERYBODY AGAIN.
I APPRECIATE MY FAMILY, THE
SUPPORT THAT WE HAVE FROM
FRIENDS, FROM FAMILY.
AND THAT IS THE KIND OF WEALTH
HE POSSESSED WITH SOMEBODY
PEOPLE WHO KNOW HIM, LOVE HIM.
AND I TELL YOU THEY LOVE HIM.
AND SO HE WAS A VERY RICH YOUNG
MAN AND I AM SORRY I WON'T GET
TO HOLD HIS KID.
AND TREAT HIM LIKE HE TREATED
MY.
AND NOW DARKNESS MUST COME TO
LIGHT AND I AM SORRY HE WAS THAT
LIKE.
AND SO IT IS SET.
I THANK YOU.
I WOULD LIKE TO CALL OLIVIA
TO ADDRESS THE COURT.
GOOD MORNING.
MY NAME IS OLIVIA TIBU, AND I'M
ODEN LLOYD'S SISTER.
I AM ONLY TWO YEARS YOUNGER THAN
ODEN, SO I SPENT MY ENTIRE LIFE
WITH HIM.
HE WAS A BIG BROTHER THAT
EVERYBODY WOULD LOVE TO HAVE.
TODAY, MY SISTER IS NOT HERE SO
I WILL SPEAK ON HER BEHALF AS
WELL.
THESE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS HAVE
BEEN THE HARDEST TIME OF OUR
LIVES.
FROM THE AGE OF 25, I WAS ASKED
TO WRITE MY BROTHER EULOGY.
IT'S THE HARDEST THING I'VE EVER
DONE IN MY LIFE.
AND ERODED WITH A SMILE -- I
WROTE IT WITH A SMILE BECAUSE I
GOT TO WRITE ALL THE GREAT
MEMORIES I HAD OF HIM.
I GOT TO TELL EVERYONE HOW HE
WORE THE SAME IDEAS FLIP-FLOPS
FOR 12 YEARS UNTIL THERE WERE NO
SOULS ON THEM AND HIS FEET WERE
TOUCHING THE GROUND.
AND AS MUCH AS I ASKED HIM TO
BUY A NEW PAIR, HE WANTED THOSE
SLIPPERS TO BE HIS AND HE WORE
THEM WITH PRIDE.
I GOT TO SIT IN FRONT OF A
CONGREGATION OF PEOPLE AND TALK
ABOUT HOW MY BROTHER PROTECTED
ME AND MY SISTER.
HOW HE WAS SUCH A GREAT GUY.
I WOULD WAKE UP IN THE MORNING
SOMETIMES AND AS SOON AS I GOT
READY TO GET MAD AT HIM HE WOULD
COME HOME AND MY CAR IS CLEANED
ON THE INSIDE AND OUT.
I GOT TO TELL PEOPLE HOW GREAT
OF AN UNCLE HE WAS.
HOW HE TAUGHT MY DAUGHTER HAD TO
RIDE HER BIKE.
IT DOES NOT FEEL LIKE ODIN IS
NOT HERE.
IT JUST FEELS LIKE A BAD DREAM.
AND I'M STUCK BETWEEN LIVING IN
REALITY AND THE STREAM WORLD
WHERE HE IS JUST NOT HERE AND I
HAVE NOT HAD THE CHANCE TO SPEAK
TO HIM.
HE CALLED ME EVERY DAY.
IF HE DID NOT CALL ME, HE TEXTED
ME.
HE WOULD CALL ME AT WORK AND ASK
WHAT I WAS DOING AND I WOULD SAY
I'M AT WORK, WHEN YOU THINK I'M
DOING? I MISS THAT.
WHEN MY NEPHEW WAS BORN LAST
MARCH, THE FIRST TO GET IT WAS
PICKED UP MY PHONE TO CALL HER
BROTHER AND TELL HIM HE HAD A
NEPHEW.
AND EVEN NOW, WHEN MY SON WAS BORN,
AFTER HOURS OF LABOR, I REACHED
TO MY PHONE TO TEXT HIM TO TELL
HIM HE HAD ANOTHER NEPHEW.
AND HE WILL NEVER GET TO MEET
THEM.
EVERY DAY I LOOK AT MY SON AND
MY DAUGHTER, AND MY SON WILL
NEVER KNOW THE UNCLE THAT MY
DAUGHTER GOT TO MEET.
LIKE I SAID, IT JUST FEELS LIKE
A BAD DREAM WHEN I TALK TO MY
SISTER, AND EVERY DAY SHE TELLS
ME THAT SHE LOVES ME, BECAUSE I
WILL NEVER GET TO TELL MY
BROTHER THAT AND I WILL NEVER
SEE HIM AGAIN.
BUT I HAVE TO GO TO HIS GRAVE
SITE, TO LOOK AT HIS TOMBSTONE
TO TELL HIM THAT I LOVE HIM.
I AM GRATEFUL ALWAYS FOR THE MAN
THAT BOWDEN WAS -- THE MAN THAT
ODIN WAS.
HE WAS A MAN WITH PRIDE.
HE WAS A HARD-WORKING MAN.
AND AS EVERYTHING STARTS TO
UNFOLD ABOUT HIM, I SAT IN THE
COURTROOM SOME DAYS, I WATCHED
ONLINE EVERY DAY I WAS NOT HERE,
AND I SMILED BECAUSE ODIN WAS A
GREAT MAN.
ALL THESE THINGS OVERSHADOW THE
FACT THAT HE GOT UP AND WORK
EVERY MORNING.
HE RODE HIS BIKE 10 MILES.
I WOULD NEVER DO THAT.
BUT HE DID BECAUSE HE WANTED TO
EARN, TO MAKE SURE THAT WHATEVER
HE GOT HE WORKED FOR.
ODIN WAS A GREAT MAN, AND I HATE
THAT I HAVE TO SIT HERE AND TALK
ABOUT HIM LIKE THIS.
I HATE THAT HE IS NOT HERE.
IT IS A GREAT DAY, BUT IT IS AN
AWFUL, PAINFUL DAY BECAUSE WE
HAVE TO RELIVE THE FACT THAT HE
IS NOT HERE AND SEE HIS PICTURE
IN THE NEWS AND SEE MY MOM'S
TEARS, MY FAMILY'S.
AND I CANNOT CONSOLE THEM LIKE
ODIN WOULD.
THE DAY THAT WE GOT THE CALL
THAT SOMETHING HAPPENED TO HIM,
I JUST KEPT SAYING IT IS NOT
HIM, IT IS NOT HIM.
WE GREW UP IN A NEIGHBORHOOD
THAT WAS NOT THE BEST, AND HE
HAD AVOIDED ALL THESE THINGS.
HE WAS NEVER IN A GANG.
HE NEVER PICKED UP A GUN, AND
THIS IS HOW HE DIED.
BUT ODIN WAS A GOOD MAN, AND I
WISH THAT EVERYONE HAD THE
OPPORTUNITY TO MEET HIM.
AND TODAY I SIT ON BEHALF OF MY
SISTER AND MYSELF TO THANK
EVERYONE WHO HAS WORKED ON THIS
CASE, TO THANK EVERYONE WHO HAS
REACHED OUT TO US AND WHO IS
PRAYING FOR US.
I THANK EVERYONE IN THIS COURT
FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK AND
THE TIME THEY PUT INTO THIS
CASE.
AND I THANK GOD THAT WE ARE HERE
AND SMILING IN SOME WAY.
THANK YOU.
[CAPTIONING PERFORMED BY THE
NATIONAL CAPTIONING INSTITUTE,
THE LAST PERSON I WOULD
LIKE TO ASK TO COME FORWARD IS
HIS COUSIN, MARCIA.
[CAPTIONING PERFORMED BY THE
NATIONAL CAPTIONING INSTITUTE,
GOOD
GOOD MORNING.
TWO YEARS, THREE MONTHS.
IT IS THE HARDEST TIME OF MY
LIFE HAVING TO COME INTO THIS
COURTROOM EVERY DAY AND HEAR AND
SEE THE HORRIBLE THINGS THAT
HAPPENED TO MY FIRSTBORN SON.
THE BACKBONE OF OUR FAMILY.
BUT IT GAVE ME SO MUCH JOY TO
SEE HER STRENGTH.
SHE DOES NOT KNOW HOW STRONG SHE
REALLY IS.
I SAT HERE EVERY DAY AND I
THOUGHT SHE SHOULD NOT BE GOING
THROUGH THIS.
THE FAMILY SHOULD NOT BE GOING
THROUGH THIS.
I DO NOT KNOW WHAT TOMORROW
HOLDS, BUT I KNOW THAT ODIN WILL
NOT BE THERE WITH US IN BODY.
THERE WILL BE WEDDINGS,
GRADUATIONS.
THERE WILL BE HOLIDAYS, AND HE
WILL NOT BE THERE.
THERE WILL BE MORE CHILDREN
BORN, AND ODIN WILL NOT BE THERE
WITH THEM, EITHER.
BUT WE KEEP HIM IN OUR HEARTS,
IN OUR THOUGHTS.
MY COUSIN PASSED AWAY, ODIN WAS
THE ONE WHO FOUND A WAY TO MAKE
US ALL LAUGH IN A TIME THAT WAS
HARD.
HE SAID, "I DO NOT KNOW WHY YOU
ARE WORRIED.
SHE DOESN'T HAVE TO PAY TAXES,
SHE DOESN'T HAVE TO PAY RENT."
IN THE WORDS OF ODIN LLOYD, "AS