7th Grader and Mother Conspire to Murder and Kidnap Infant

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Amidst the hustle and bustle of
New York City in 1991, beneath

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the cacophony of blaring car
horns and the constant murmur of

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a million intertwined lives, a
chilling story was about to

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unfold.
It would revolve around Raquel

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Montano, an ordinary woman
living in a city that never

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sleeps, whose life was about to
be shattered by unimaginable

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horror, oblivious to the
impending danger lurking in the

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shadows.
She sat in her apartment as the

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city lights flickered against
her window, casting a haunting

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glow on her face.
Little did she know that she was

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about to become the victim of a
sinister plot, one that would

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rival the most gruesome tales
heard on late night news.

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This was not some rehearsed play
or cheesy horror film.

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This was a reality in its raw
and chilling form.

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And it all started on a mundane
evening just like any other,

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until everything changed.
Welcome to No Tears for Black

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Girls, a true crime series
created, written and produced by

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award-winning writer Jon
Reedberg and hosted by Samantha

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Paul.
Raquel Montana was born in

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Brooklyn, NY on June 13th, 1971.
She lived with her parents on

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Saint Marks Ave. near Prospect
Park.

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Her father, a Cherokee from
South Carolina, met her Indian

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mother from Trinidad and Tobago,
creating a blended family rich

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in culture and tradition.
Growing up, Raquel had four

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older siblings who were all a
mix of Indian and Spanish

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descent.
However, they remained in

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Trinidad while she was born and
raised in the bustling city of

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New York.
It wasn't until her mother's

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journey to the States that they
were able to reunite as a

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family.
Despite the distance and age

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difference, Raquel cherished
anytime she could spend with her

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beloved siblings.
When one of her sisters

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relocated to Louisiana, she and
their mother joined them for a

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joyous holiday reunion.
This was the first time all five

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siblings were together under one
roof, and it was a momentous

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occasion filled with love and
gratitude.

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Described as beautiful and full
of life, Raquel, or Rocky to her

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family, had long black hair and
a contagious smile.

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She relished simple pleasures
like trips to Coney Island with

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her sister or sleepovers with
cousins.

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Despite challenges and
separation from loved ones, she

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maintained a vibrant spirit,
finding happiness and small

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things like her favorite meal of
pigs in a blanket.

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And through all the ups and
downs, Raquel embodied this

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sentiment with grace and love
towards her family.

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As she matured, Raquel blossomed
into a charismatic young woman,

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known for her gentle heart and
ambitious vision of herself as a

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model or singer.
Her love for music was

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unmatched, but she also had an
eagerness to pursue cosmetology.

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Focused and driven, it was clear
that nothing could stand in the

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way of her dreams becoming
reality.

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Raquel attended Lethbridge
Junior High, located on Empire

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Blvd. and New York Ave. now
commonly known as Ms. 61, she

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quickly made friends and
excelled academically.

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It was here that she first met
Sean, who would become her

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devoted boyfriend.
Despite their youth, they were

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inseparable from the start.
What began as innocent affection

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between two teenagers soon grew
into something more profound.

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They fell head over heels in
love.

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Even when they went to different
high schools, their bond

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remained unbreakable.
Before long, Raquel and Sean

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found themselves expecting a
child together at such a young

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age.
This news initially terrified

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them both, but they believed
that their strong love could

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conquer any challenge that came
their way.

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Raquel moved in with Sean and
his parents on Rogers Ave. and

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three months later, welcomed a
healthy son into the world.

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They named him Sean Junior.
Eagerly planning for their

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future as a family, Sean Senior
was determined to provide for

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his loved ones and considered
applying for a job with the

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Transit Authority.
The couple planned to get

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married after graduating high
school in June of that year.

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They were certain that nothing
could ever tear them apart.

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But on March 6th of 1991, a cold
blooded plot shattered those

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dreams forever.
Raquel had plans to visit a

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family member in Brooklyn,
taking baby Sean Junior with her

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at just 2 1/2 months old.
Sean Senior watched as they got

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into a taxi on Rogers Ave.,
never imagining it would be the

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last time he saw his beloved
partner and child.

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As the hours passed with no sign
of Raquel or their son, Sean

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Senior grew increasingly
anxious.

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It was unlike her to not
communicate with her family or

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miss a planned visit.
He even went to the home she was

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supposed to be visiting, but
they hadn't seen her either.

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With no explanation or leads,
Sean Senior was left devastated

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and desperate to find his
missing family.

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He arrived at the apartment,
rapping insistently on the door

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until his knuckles turned red.
No one answered.

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The realization slowly crept
over them that something was

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terribly wrong.
A frantic search began for

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mother and son, but they seem to
have vanished into thin air.

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The family was consumed by a
sense of foreboding and anguish.

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Days dragged on with no sign of
Raquel until a startling

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discovery was made.
Firefighters stumbled upon a

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burning body behind an abandoned
gas station, later identified as

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that of Raquel, in a horrific
state.

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As if being burned alive wasn't
enough, she had also been

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brutally beaten and suffocated.
For two weeks.

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Her loved ones held out hope
that she would be found safe and

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sound.
The shock and devastation when

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her death was confirmed is
indescribable.

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And then came the question,
where was baby Sean?

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Despite tireless efforts from
the authorities, there were no

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leads and no sign of the missing
infant.

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Desperate and grasping at
straws, they considered the

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possibility of him being sold on
the black market like other

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stolen babies before him.
The uncertainty and fear

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continued to plague them as they
searched for answers.

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The tragic fate of Raquel
weighed heavily on the hearts of

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Sean Senior and his family, who
refused to believe that little

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Sean Junior was also gone.
The streets of Brooklyn were

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soon flooded with missing
posters and Flyers, each

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containing details about the
baby's last known outfit, a bold

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red and white pinstripe baseball
ensemble featuring Mickey Mouse

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designs and a matching cap.
For two weeks, authorities

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scoured every corner in search
of the missing child, uncertain

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of what horrors they might
uncover in their pursuit of

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justice.
But despite the grim

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circumstances, Sean Senior held
on to hope, convinced that his

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son was still out there
somewhere.

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Even if Raquel was truly gone,
as the pathologist had claimed,

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he couldn't accept the loss of
his son.

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And then, on March 18th, 1991,
everything changed.

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A tip LED detectives to a home
in South Ozone Park, Queens,

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where they discovered that
Pamela Andrews, a distant

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relative of Raquel's, had been
the one responsible for the

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heinous crime.
It was revealed that Andrews had

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lured Raquel to her apartment
under false pretenses before

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savagely attacking her and
suffocating her to death with a

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pillow.
Her 13 year old daughter,

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Checotah, assisted in the murder
by holding Raquel down while her

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mother took her lifeless body
and disposed of it behind a

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vacant gas station after setting
it on fire.

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All along, stealing Raquel's
child had been Andrew's twisted

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plan, an act of pure evil
committed by someone who knew

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Raquel since she was just a
young girl.

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The depth of this betrayal and
tragedy would haunt all those

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involved for years to come.
As soon as Sean Senior knocked

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on the apartment door, her fate
had already been decided.

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The authorities quickly
connected the dots after acting

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on a tip, and both perpetrators
were taken into custody.

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After intense questioning, the
sickening truth was finally

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revealed, and the motive behind
it all was truly despicable.

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It was discovered that Andrews
had recently suffered a

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miscarriage on February 17th,
1991.

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Instead of seeking medical
attention or confiding in her

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boyfriend, she carried out her
twisted plan.

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Since Raquel had just given
birth, Andrew saw an opportunity

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to steal baby Sean and pass him
off as her own.

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She even went as far as changing
his name to Kenny, pretending he

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was hers.
When she felt like the police

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were on her, she took Sean out
of her home and took him to

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South Ozone Park, where she
convinced her boyfriend's family

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that the child was theirs.
Meanwhile, two young foster

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children and another daughter of
Andrew's were removed from the

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apartment and placed into care.
Baby Sean was examined at

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Wyckoff Hospital and found to be
unharmed, but it was clear that

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Andrews never intended to give
him up.

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He had new clothes, bottles, and
a diaper bag.

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The horrific truth about what
happened to Raquel was

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devastating for her family.
Though they had a gut feeling

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that Sean Junior might still be
alive, they couldn't escape the

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tragedy that had occurred.
The scene was filled with

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conflicting emotions.
On the one hand, there was

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immense joy and relief at
Shawn's safe return and the

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reunion between him and his
family, but on the other hand,

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Raquel's suffering seemed
senseless.

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She had only ever loved her
child and trusted someone she

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thought had good intentions.
Andrew Andrews was not a close

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figure in their lives, but the
tragedy that struck them was

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unimaginable.
Shawn Seniors suspicions were

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confirmed as he grappled with
the devastating loss on that

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fateful Tuesday morning in March
of 1991.

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As baby Shawn was returned to
his father and Raquel's family,

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they showered him with love and
affection.

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Despite their relief, there was
still a heavy presence of grief

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over Raquel's absence.
Shawn Senior even prayed it

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wasn't her who had met such a
horrific fate.

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Their dreams of a happy future
together were shattered.

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They had envisioned a big house
where Junior would grow up and

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someday bring grandchildren to
play.

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But now that dream was dead.
Raquel was the only woman Sean

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Senior had ever loved.
Her murderers, Pamela and

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Checotah Andrews, were
eventually charged with

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kidnapping and 2nd degree
murder.

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It wasn't a surprise to those
who knew Checotah at Junior High

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School 324, where she caused
trouble and ran with a bad

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crowd.
Even though they both pled

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guilty for their role in
Raquel's death, Checotah

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received a sentence of only
three to 10 years due to being a

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juvenile at the time of the
crime.

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Meanwhile, her mother was
sentenced to 20 years to life in

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prison but was later released on
parole.

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The aftermath of this tragedy
weighed heavily on Raquel's

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family, especially her only
child, who had lost both parents

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in one tragic moment.
Despite their efforts to stay

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together and form a tight bond,
it was all taken away from them

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without warning or reason.
Sean Senior was never able to

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move on from his beloved
Raquel's brutal and violent end.

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The relationship between him and
his son was irreparably damaged,

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a tragic result of the
unspeakable acts that took

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place.
The weight of grief and trauma

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hung heavily on them both,
affecting every aspect of their

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lives.
Shawn Junior, only learning the

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truth at 21 years old, was left
with a shattered heart and no

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chance of closure.
Meanwhile, those responsible

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roamed free, their crimes
brushed aside as if they never

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happened.
But amidst the tragedy, there

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were glimmers of hope.
Shawn Junior grew into a

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remarkable young man, kind,
loving, and fiercely devoted to

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his family.
In the wake of such loss, he

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bore a striking resemblance to
his late mother and carried her

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spirit within him.
Despite their grief, the family

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remained close, leaning on one
another for support.

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And while Pamela Andrews may
have been seen as a kind and

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loving neighbor by those around
her, the truth was far more

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sinister.
Her actions were driven by

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selfishness, hatred, and an
insatiable thirst for blood.

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Raquel's love for her child and
family stood in stark contrast

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to Andrews is true nature.
Even though Raquel has passed

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away, those who cared for her
will always cherish her memory.

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May she find eternal peace and
never be lost in our hearts.

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Thank you for tuning in to No
Tears for Black Girls.

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00:13:54,240 --> 00:13:57,160
This series is skillfully
crafted by acclaimed writer and

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producer Jon Reedberg with the
guidance of unapologetic host

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Samantha Paul.
Catch new episodes every Tuesday

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00:14:04,640 --> 00:14:07,520
and Thursday on all major
podcast platforms.

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