HOUSTON — Photos of loved ones lost to murder lined the entry at Crime Stoppers of Houston where the organization hosted an event on National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims - honoring the lives lost and focusing on ways to serve and support surviving family members.
The mother of 35-year-old Christopher Hinton Mena, who was killed in 2020, shared her story with KHOU 11 News from her South Side home.
“Everybody knew him as a good guy, you know? Laughter ... full of laughter ... jokes," Marnita Hinton said. “He enjoyed helping other people. Real good guy. Everybody knew."
But in the early morning of Nov. 14, 2020, her life would change forever.
“He was sitting on the passenger side slumped over. And it was like a daydream. I saw him. But I said no, that's not Chris," Hinton said.
She said Christopher had just worked a 16-hour security shift when he got back to their home and told her he was getting ready to go out. She said she asked him not to go.
“I said, Well, it's too dangerous out there. And he said, ‘Ma, it's not dangerous out there. Everybody knows me,'" Hinton said. “Then he left. And that was the last time I saw my child alive."
At around 6:15 a.m., Christopher was found shot in the head slumped over in his Jeep.
“It was just a nightmare, that I knew that when I woke up everything was going to be all right. But it wasn't," Hinton said.
All of this happened just a few miles away from their own home. It's a pain that Hinton lives with every day.
“It's a turmoil to know that someone would kill your loved ones," she said.
She’s now part of a community that no one asked to be in - people whose loved ones have been murdered.
But honoring Chris at Crime Stoppers on Sunday, the National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims, helps her connect to people who understand her.
“My heart just goes out to everybody who’s here because it lets me know that I’m not alone," she said.
She continues to pray that someone will come forward with information to catch his killer.
“I'm hoping that someone will come in and tell who murdered my child that night of November the 14th. I really do. I would do it for them,” she said.
The reward in Christopher's case has been increased to $10,000. If you know anything you're urged to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477).