Murder of Chanel Petro-Nixon

Chanel Petro-Nixon was an American murder victim.

Life
Chanel Petro-Nixon was born in 1989 and had lived in the Bedford Styvesant section of Brooklyn, New York. She was a member of the Mt. of Olives Seventh-day Adventist Church on Bushwick Avenue and was considered devout by her family in regards to her church and prayer attendance. She was also a 10th grader at Boys and Girls High School and was known as a straight-A student who spent her after-school hours in the library. According to Nancy Grace of CNN "She wanted to become a nurse to help other people".

Murder
On Sunday, June 18, 2006, which was a 'Father's Day', Petro-Nixon had left her home, which family included her father Anthony Garvin, her mother Lucita Nixon, and her brothers Marcus and Giovanni, and decided to walk to a nearby Applebee's restaurant to fill out a job application. She had not been seen or heard from again for four days. Later, her body was discovered in a trash bag in front of 212 Kingston Avenue. It was determined that Petro-Nixon had been strangled.

Other clues: her cell phone and sneakers
A later article in the New York Daily News focused on her white sneakers, with the hope that someone would have recognized her shoes.


 * "Cops hope a photo of 16-year-old Chanel Petro-Nixon's white sneakers will jog a witness' memory and help investigators track down the Brooklyn girl's killer."

To further quote the same article:


 * "But the white sneakers she had been wearing when she left home were missing as was her cell phone. Detectives hope someone will call with information when they see photos of the missing Nike Air Jordan Retro 14 sneakers. The size 6½ shoes have green trim.  "AMW" will also show photos of her Sanyo Sprint 8200 phone.  "Maybe soneone remembers seeing the shoes on a rooftop or the cell phone in someone's home," (Jon) Lieberman (producer of America's Most Wanted) said.  "The family is looking for justice."

Burial
Petro-Nixon was buried at Rosedale and Rosehill Cemetery, located in Linden Union County, New Jersey.

The reaction of the family and friends
It was reported that Petro-Nixon's father, Garvin, is alienated from his neighborhood. He is quoted as saying: "I don't trust anybody," and "That person shaking your hand, smiling in your face, could be the one who did this".

Petro-Nixon's mother, Lucita, takes a different viewpoint stating "I won't let anger poison me".

Petro-Nixon's parents made a plea to the public asking for help in finding her killer. They also visited the site where she was found in a bag.

Her cousin, Errol Wilson, was quoted in a New York Daily News article as saying "She was beautiful inside and out" and that "She had an inner beauty you rarely find".

A teen friend of Petro-Nixon's had said: "She would never do anything wrong", and then further added that they had read the book, The Da Vinci Code, together. "She had good grades. I would call her the 'little nerd.'"

Letter to Police Commissioner from N.A.A.C.P., and reward information
On July 7, 2006, the Brooklyn Branch of the N.A.A.C.P. sent a letter to Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly requesting a meeting. The letter mentioned "increasing rates of crime", "inadequate police response" and the murder of Petro-Nixon.

Initial reward information
An initial reward of $12,000 was offered by police. It was reported in the August 11, 2006 edition of the New York Daily News that:


 * "The Daily News has joined with the city and several private organizations to offer nearly $30,000 in reward money for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Chanel's killer. The News also has paid to print hundreds of posters calling for the public to help catch the killer. Cops asked anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential."

Further information
At a later date, the reward amount was increased. The New York City Police Department interviewed all of Petro-Nixon's friends and collected hundreds of tips. A $38,000 reward for useful information was given. There was a poster featuring Petro-Nixon's face peering out from a window of a McDonald's restaurant on Fulton Street, offering a $22,000 reward. The fund represents contributions by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, The New York Daily News, The Reverend Al Sharpton and the Police Department. There has been no claim to the reward.

Detective work and the neighborhood
David Stein, head of the detective squad, was quoted as saying, "You see a case like this maybe once in a career." Part of that article read:


 * "Now. Stein has assigned the case to "the two Bobs" - Robert Carboine, who has 17 years on the job and is working on the case full time, and Bobby Rivera, a veteran with 20 years on the job, 16 of them as a detective in the 77th, who's working part time on the murder. When more manpower is needed - to canvass a block, for instance, talking to people for clues - the brass at 1 Police Plaza gives it to them. "We've spent thousands of hours on this," says Stein, who was working the case on July 4, wandering into backyard barbecues asking questions. "This case has taken us all over the tristate area and beyond."

Comparison to other murder victims of 2006
The death of Petro-Nixon was highlighted in a July 29, 2006 article titled, "It's open season on young gals", where her death was compared with the murders of Imette St. Guillen and Jennifer Moore. Another related comparison of a 'close-to-home' murder was the murder of Tiesha Sargeant.

Aftermath
Murder statistics conducted by the NYPD and obtained by the Daily News had mention of Petro-Nixon. Also this same day, another murder which occurred was mentioned and there was speculation that this murder may be related to Petro-Nixon's. New York Daily News columnist Errol Louis, who tried to keep the story 'alive' in the press, provided this information that there was a spike in murder, which was up in Crown Heights by 122%, and that community meetings were being held by Assemblyman Karim Camara. Her mother was quoted in a New York Times story as stating: "We try our best to keep it alive, she said of the case. We really don't want her death to be in vain."

In January 2007, CNN had a video featuring Nancy Grace, discussing unsolved murders.

As of June 24, 2007, the case had still not been solved. There were currently no witnesses known to have seen her murdered, nor any suspects that had been identified. . The Reverend Al Sharpton has joined with the television show, America's Most Wanted, in trying to solve the mystery of her murder. He has used strong language directed to the Black Community in presenting the case of Petro-Nixon's murder.

Her mother, Lucita Petro-Nixon, had been scheduled to receive a "survivor's" award during January, 2008. More than two years have passed and there have been no further revelations in Petro-Nixon's murder.

On June 19, 2010, a rally was held in honor of Petro-Nixon, and included a march and a prayer vigil. The blog site mentioning this rally had stated that as of this late date no further evidence of her murder had been provided.