Case Profiles #25
Benine Timothee
In July of 2016, 36-year-old Benine Timothee had come to Boston from Les Cayes, Haiti with her two children, 13-year-old Nelissa and 12-year-old Jephte. They lived in the Dorchester area and joined Benine’s husband Andre, who had come to Massachusetts in 2008. Just three months later on October 29th, Andre notified police when Benine didn’t return home from a friend’s house. Her friend reported that Benine never made it there. This is when Andre learned that Benine had been shot outside of SKB’s, a local corner store, just several blocks from their home. She had passed away at the hospital. The family had survived the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010 and came to the U.S for a better life and more opportunities, only to have Benine fatally shot just months after their arrival. Jephte is now a freshman in college studying criminal justice as “Somebody’s gotta make a difference.” There have been no arrests and no suspects identified in the murder and the case has gone cold. Anyone with any information on the murder of Benine Timothee is asked to please call the Boston Police Department at (617) 343-4633.
Bernadette DePina
On May 25th, 2006, 49-year-old Bernadette “Bunny” DePina was found shot to death in her New Bedford, Massachusetts home. Just four days prior to her murder, her son, 23-year-old David “Crunchy” DePina II was charged with murder in relation to a possible act of gang violence. Many believe the god-fearing, troubled youth advocate and devoted mother was murdered as retaliation for the crime her son committed. To this day, her murder remains unsolved.
Image sources:
bostonglobe.com - “Death of Haitian woman in Boston for three months a hard blow to family”
currentobituary.com - “Bernadette ‘Bunny’ Depina”