‘A senseless crime’: Family of slain Oxford father remember a selfless, lovable man
Latricia Hawley wants her late husband to be remembered for the smiles he left on people’s faces.
Nearly two months after he was shot and killed in Durham, she is still in shock and adjusting to the sudden end to his life.
“He was very goofy, and I know that was one of the reasons I married him,” Hawley said in a phone interview with The News & Observer. “By the time he started cutting up, my jaws would be sore. He was hilarious, he really was.”
The two got married on March 2, 2020, at the Granville County Courthouse in their hometown of Oxford. They had picked out rings for each other two days earlier while on vacation at the beach, she said.
Two of their oldest children were there as witnesses.
“That day was definitely memorable,” she said. “That’s something they’ve got to hold on to.”
On June 10, 35-year-old Kenneth was attending a family gathering in Durham with two of his children when he was shot by the children’s uncle, Ayinde Melvin, according to police.
He died a day later in a hospital from his injuries, according to Durham police. They arrested Melvin, 24, on July 28 and charged him with first-degree murder.
“I was supposed to watch him grow old,” Hawley said. “Forever only lasted two years for me. I don’t get to see what we were going to accomplish together. ... It just hurts.”
The motive for the shooting remains a mystery.
Unanswered questions
On the day of the shooting, police responded to calls on Miosha Street, between North Mangum and North Roxboro streets in downtown Durham.
They found Hawley shot, according to a press release.
Latricia, who was not at the family gathering in Durham, said he was taken to Duke Hospital’s emergency room. The moments after she arrived are a blur, she said.
“I heard the doctor say he was really sick, and that was all I remember: sick,” she said. “I already knew what was coming next, and I know I lost it.”
She she has gotten judgment from some people when she tells them her husband was killed.
“He was a young, Black male. He was in this environment and usually when that comes to light people instantly think he was some type of thug or he was in a gang or he was involved in criminal activities,” she said. “That’s the one thing I do not want people to do, is place any judgment because this man was all about his family.”
She said she also emphasized this point to the detective on Hawley’s case.
“We’re not talking about somebody who was out in the streets because most of the time, this man was at home. He’d do anything for the kids but he was a homebody,” she said. “I really want to know why. ... What did you get out of shooting him?”
Kenneth’s older sister, Monaka Hawley, said since the shooting Durham police have been in contact with their family but in the preliminary investigation, have not had many details they could tell them.
“This was a senseless crime. He was and is still loved by many,” she said. “It’s a hard process to deal with my brother being killed for no reason.”
She said she is more hurt since Kenneth had known the shooter for years.
In addition to the murder charge, Melvin was also served on an unrelated, outstanding warrant for cyberstalking, according to Durham police.
‘He’s missed by everybody’
For much of his life, Kenneth Hawley Jr. did his best to avoid situations that would lead to trouble, his wife said in the interview.
The father of six children, Hawley would mainly stay local in Oxford and made sure his family had things they needed. Two of his children he adopted after marrying his wife.
The oldest of his children are 14 years old and the others are 12, 10, 11, 8 and 7-years-old.
Like many men his age, Hawley loved cars, hanging out with friends and family, laughing and watching his favorite TV shows, Latricia said.
They were also avid travelers and spent time at the beach or in the mountains of Tennessee in cabins, she said. With their birthdays days apart, they would combine their celebrations and go on trips. Their first trip was to the Great Smoky Mountains.
Kenneth would have turned 36 on Aug. 20.
“Me and my husband were far from perfect. We are a Leo that married another Leo,” Hawley said speaking of their astrological signs. “But he still chose me everycday. ... He’s missed by everybody.”
Kenneth was the only boy, and second oldest, of the children born of Kenneth Hawley Sr. and Deidre Hawley of Oxford, according to his oldest sister, Monaka Hawley, in an interview with the N&O.
“He was a hard working, lovable, family-oriented person,” she said. “He loved being around his kids and spending time with (them) trying to make sure that they got everything they needed and wanted. He was just a loving person.”
Kenneth’s funeral service was on June 27. The service was attended by many friends and family members.
“We stayed in the country part of Oxford, so everyone there we went to school with or grew up with,” his sister said. “He was loved. A lot of people cared for my brother. There was a lot of love and a lot of emotion. It was a good service, but I wished it never happened.”
Hawley said she wants everyone involved to be held accountable.
“I just want the person who got locked up to get life. I don’t want this to get swept under the rug,” she said. “This is supposed to be an extension of our family. ...We want justice.”
This story was originally published August 4, 2022 at 4:16 PM.