Rape. Murder. Non-Response. (for Megan)
She deserved better.
That statement could fit so many things, but for my family, two specific things come to the forefront. I’m going to tell you a story. It’s a story of a little girl who was always on my heels growing up. When I was a teenager, she was a little girl, growing into her own. She was beautiful — inside and out. When we saw each other as children, she was so keen to be around me the entire time. I loved her for that — growing up, there were few people who actually acted like they were happy to see me. Whereas my grandparents and my mom pretty much so made sure that I had everything I needed and damn near EVERYTHING I wanted, the emotional side of my existence was a lot of hard time and unfortunate absences. It was awesome to feel loved.
Eventually, this little girl who became my shadow grew into a woman, entering into the universe and quickly finding her own. Her personality never changed — her light shined so bright that you couldn’t look at it directly. She loved with reckless abandon. Her being a part of your life was a blessing to anyone she loved. She was full of laughter. Few people could say an ill word about her because her spirit was just that amazing. Inside, however, she was anguished. She’d make small comments that would raise a few hairs on the back of your neck, but never to a point where you’d do anything but raise an eyebrow and continue on with your day. See, she was in a relationship where she was suffering in silence. Her relationship was toxic — her companion showed all of the signs of domestic abuse. He was complementary and giving not only to her but to her family. He’d abuse her, then do extra things to attempt to make up for his transgressions. He’d make threats that were next level over the phone and in text messages, but then commit acts of affection to make up for the vile things that he would say to her. For her, that was enough. But I’m sure she’d never imagined what would happen to her on the night of December 1st.
See, who I am talking about is my cousin Megan Banks. On the night of December 1, 2021, her boyfriend Darrell Boyd, 51 of Hampton, unloaded a bullet into my cousin’s head. As she lay there dying, this man didn’t even have enough compassion for her to go down a flight of stairs to contact the police. He sat there in her bedroom, watching her gurgle her own blood while her mom wailed for him to get up off of the floor and call 911. In the end, he NEVER even took the initiative to even do that. He was more concerned with his dead cellphone than he was concerned with my poor Megan quickly losing her life in a pool of blood. Her last moments of life were full of chaos and despair. What was Megan’s transgression? Did she take a stand against this abusive man who couldn’t care less about her losing her life? Did she do someone wrong at some point? Regardless of ANYTHING that Megan could have done at ANY POINT of her life, she DIDN’T deserve to DIE LIKE THAT. She didn’t deserve to live 35 years and be EXECUTED in her bedroom.
The expectation in this event is that law enforcement do everything that they can to bring justice for Megan. Justice, however, is fluid and solely based on whoever is in the position to enact it. The grapevine has provided facts. Darrell Boyd, according to reports, is a convicted felon who brought a FIREARM into my cousin’s house. Hampton Police took a statement from him, but failed to take one from Megan’s mother until days after the fact. Boyd’s threats were on several devices and could show a pattern of escalation. Megan’s autopsy was rushed. Law enforcement only took Megan’s KILLER into account and did not take the time to document this spineless COWARD’S threats against Megan’s life and how his aggression grew and grew until he entered the echelon of MURDERING my Megan. The communication with my family from law enforcement has left more questions than answers. We as a family are now planning a funeral for someone who has NO BUSINESS being dead. This should not have been her fate and we are left to grieve an insurmountable loss of someone whose light shined SO BRIGHTLY, that has now been snuffed out far too soon.
This tragedy is the second in a string of failures from the Commonwealth Attorney’s office. Anton Bell, Hampton Commonwealth Attorney didn’t have the courtesy to even have an audience with my cousin’s parents to show compassion and concern for this heinous act. As usual, Anton Bell has failed my family YET AGAIN. Sure - there is no statute of limitations on murder. Maybe something else will come to light that will make it so SOMEONE can do SOMETHING about this and bring justice for my cousin. Honestly, I didn’t expect anything from Anton Bell — this is the SECOND failure that Anton Bell’s office has had in relation to my family. First, he failed to charge my daughter Celeste’s rapist after she was REPEATEDLY sexually assaulted in her elementary school by another student. No one asked for the other student to go to jail — in fact, the request was for everything BUT that. Court-ordered therapy. Placement in an alternative school until it could be deemed appropriate for this student to SAFELY be in an environment where the rest of the classroom could be safe. But Anton Bell didn’t give a damn about my daughter. He didn’t even care about us enough to pick up the phone and ask us our thoughts. Not a phone call. Not an email. Not a smoke signal. Again, another girl whose brilliant light has been dimmed by a violent act and the person who we place the responsibility in to bring these bad actors to justice is sitting behind his position and refusing to act. In both of these instances, our family has gone through so much. It is unimaginable that we are faced with this horrendous tragedy, only compounded by the Commonwealth Attorney’s office’s refusal to protect and provide a voice of hope in a hopeless circumstance. I am angry — absolutely, but in all of this, my heart breaks into shards of grief. One amazing woman is deceased. One amazing girl is working through her trauma in a marathon that will last well into adulthood. The Commonwealth Attorney’s office deems that neither of these people are victims, so the resources that could be provided by their office are cast into oblivion. Unfair is an understatement. They deserved better.
In most places, six degrees of separation is a reasonable assessment of the personal connections between people. Hampton Roads, however, is two — either you know someone, or you know someone who knows someone. In Hampton, those lines more often than not, are even more blurred. I’m sure that while Anton Bell was chilling in his office at the District Court building or at home drinking a highball, he didn’t have an inkling that Megan and Celeste were connected. He didn’t realize that his inaction on Celeste’s behalf would only be compounded by his inaction on Megan’s behalf. He let the COWARD who shot my cousin go. Megan lay cold while her murderer walks free. Neither one of these situations makes sense. Our family deserves an explanation but I am doubtful that Anton Bell will EVER have the balls to give us one. He didn’t give one for Celeste — at least, he didn’t to us. He was more than willing to speak to the press and say that the COPS don’t have the ability to discern probable cause for RAPE, ego drenched all over his statements like slow, dripping molasses. I am unsure of what the outcomes will be for both of these tragedies. I just know that I am overwhelmed with grief for both my daughter and my cousin. Megan and Celeste’s voices deserve to be heard — not muffled by a career politician who has chosen the road with the least possible resistance to act.
I say all of this to say one thing — elections have consequences. On November 2nd, Anton Bell ran unopposed for the position of Hampton Commonwealth Attorney. So just by that, either people didn’t know or didn’t care about Anton Bell’s record of not protecting citizens who depend on him to champion those who have been harmed or who no longer have a voice to speak for themselves. It is his job to be a voice for the voiceless. It is his responsibility to take on the task of righting the wrongs of our community. In that regard, he has failed miserably. He has chosen to absolve himself from the charge he was elected to take on.
When we elect officials — especially in roles like Commonwealth Attorney — society’s expectation is that those individuals not only be ethical, but moral. How can you call yourself a pastor and then not protect or amplify the voices of people you are sworn to watch over? Again, and I repeat, ELECTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES. The city of Hampton now has to deal with Anton Bell for AT LEAST another four years. In 2025, what will we do as a community to say “The buck stops here?” When will we say “Enough is enough?” To take from the hypocrite-in-chief, Dr. Richard Mason, Vice-Chair of the Hampton School Board, “Trauma is longitudinal.” That statement does not just fit childhood trauma — it fits trauma all-around. We don’t’ just experience a traumatic event and then snap back after a single, visceral reaction. Trauma seeps into your spirit — you taste it, you feel it, you smell it, you smoke it. It envelopes you and changes your way of thought. Once you experience it, you are saved by your coping mechanisms, whatever those may be. Sometimes you cope — other times, you don’t cope. You unite with others, drowning in a sea of discontent and you hope for a resolution at some point that will bind the seams of a heart splintered by the actions of others.
I love you, Megan. I will always love you. Rest in eternal peace.
If you’d like to contribute to our family to assist with funeral expenses, please reach out to either myself or to my cousin Brandon, who is coordinating Megan’s memorial. If you’d like more information about Celeste and would like to provide assistance, please visit www.8forCeleste.org.
