'Missing part of the puzzle' | Family grieving, fighting for justice after loved one killed in Douglasville
Derrick Lamar Brown was killed on Jan. 28. Months later, his family is continuing to honor his memory and is bringing attention to who he was.
Derrick Lamar Brown was a warrior -- a protector with a strong spirit and lots of love to give.
The metro Atlanta man was originally from Monroe, Louisiana, and was one of eight children, his family said. He was the third eldest child and took a leadership role for those around him. The gentle giant, as his family described him, was also known to have a heart of gold and to be the type of person who'd give his shirt off his back to others.
His mother, JoeAnn Brown, said that Derrick was a man of strength, and she could always count on him to help those he loved. The 41-year-old was a mama's boy through and through, she said.
"I'm a mamma bear with all of them," she said about her children. "And Derrick was like the warrior in our family. He was like our protector."
But their fierce-loving protector, the man who completed the puzzle of their family unit, was ripped away from them on January 28.
And now, the family is still fighting for justice for Derrick and is feeling the void that can never be filled -- that missing puzzle piece -- as they try to live their lives without the man who was an integral part of their unit.
Family grieving, fighting for justice after metro Atlanta man killed
'I didn't get to him in time'
JoeAnn Brown dreamt of her son's death before it ever occurred.
Months prior, she had a nightmare of Derrick being stabbed to death. Terrified, she said that she told all of her family about the dream.
But never could she have known what was going to happen to one of her children. She could have never predicted the terror, the pain, or the grief. Most certainly, she could have never imagined having her last phone call to her son and hearing his screams.
That Sunday morning, January 28, the 41-year-old spoke to his mother for the last time.
The family said that he and his girlfriend were living in Douglasville and that his girlfriend's 17-year-old son, Mersean Felder, was visiting from New York. An alleged argument then broke out while the teen's mother was away from the home. That's when Derrick called his mother for help.
"He was getting killed while he was on the phone with me," she said.
She described how she and her husband were in the car driving when they heard crashing noises and could tell there was some sort of struggle happening in the house. She could also hear screaming.
Calls to 911 reveal the terror the family faced. Derrick was cut badly on his back and was bleeding out.
"I called my son Joe, and I said, 'Go check on your brother, go check on your brother,'" she recalled.
She and her husband were on their way there from the store, and Derrick's sister, April Brown-Smith, was also heading to come to help her brother.
"But I didn't get to him in time," she said through tears. "I was just trying to get to him."
Derrick's brother, Joe, got there first, she said.
"Joe said, 'Mom, there's a lot of blood,'" she recalled.
JoeAnn was then told that Derrick was taken to a nearby hospital, where they were trying to perform life-saving measures. She rushed to see her child.
She got to the hospital and tried to get answers about what happened. Instead, she sat there.
And she waited.
Struggling to find the words to speak with authorities, she hoped for an update on her son. The only news she received would make her heart drop: they were airlifting him to another hospital with a trauma unit. The family rushed to be by his side.
"But lo and behold, he never left that hospital. He was still there," she said.
Despite efforts to save Derrick's life, he passed away within hours. The girlfriend's son was subsequently arrested and later charged with voluntary manslaughter in the case. He was released on bond days later.
"He has freedom," JoeAnn said. "My son don't have that. My son is lying in a grave."
With no trial in sight, the family now has more questions than answers.
11Alive also reached out to the Douglas County District Attorney's Office and the courts for an update on this case and is still waiting for answers.
'I'm lost'
Derrick's family is continuing to fight for justice in the midst of the unbelievable pain.
The day Derrick was killed hit the hardest for them as he was born on Nov. 28 and died on Jan. 28, the family said. In their tight-knit family, they loved big and genuinely. His sister, April, said that, like all families, they had disagreements, but they always made sure to fix whatever the issue was.
"It sucks we couldn't fix January the 28th," she said.
Joe said that the process after Derrick died was so quick and overwhelming that he didn't feel like his brother was laid to rest properly. He said they didn't have the time to touch him or even attempt to accept what happened.
"I'm lost," Joe said, "but I'm here."
It's also been overwhelming in not only handling the logistics of what to do after a loved one dies but also in fighting to get answers and justice for Derrick.
"I can't move forward until I know that nothing is gonna...his death is not in vain," April stated.
And his mother said the pain continues to persist.
"I can't hear him. I can't touch him. I can't hear his laughter," JoeAnn said. "I will never have that again."
Please take some time to read the poem the family wrote about Derrick below.
'Not just another number'
As time ticks on, the family is going through milestones and day-to-day life without Derrick. With how close the family is, April said it felt like there was a void when she had to go through a birthday without her brother. She said she now understands how people can die of heartbreak.
"I really didn't want to do anything 'cause looking to my left and my right, and I see everybody, and I don't see that piece of the puzzle. It's like I just want to start over," April stated.
Joe said that Derrick was like the lock of the chain of their family unit, that he was part of the strength of the chain that they had as a family.
"And by him not here, you feel that void -- the looseness of our chain," he said.
Now, he said that they are having to build their own type of strength in the midst of the pain. In general, each family member brought something to the table and taught each other something.
"I see the missing part of the puzzle, too," Joe said.
To honor their brother, the siblings all have his last drawing tattooed on them. Joe has it on his inner arm next to the word "family," and April has the tattoo facing outward on her right foot, which is her dominant side. She said it reminds her of Derrick's dominant and strong personality.
"For me and my life, he was the dad, the big brother, the best friend," April said.
She also said that the family is now there to be Derrick's voice and fight for him.
"Whether we were there or not, justice needs to be served for him," she said.
As they continue to push for answers, JoeAnn wants others who are in a similar situation to understand that although law enforcement and the criminal justice system have a lot on their plate, it's important to remember that your case is just as important as any other case.
"You're not just another number," JoeAnn said.
11Alive's More Than a Number series seeks to humanize crime coverage by "giving a face to the victim and a voice to the family." If you would like to honor a loved one you lost, you can use the form below or email us at MoreThanANumber@11alive.com to tell us about them, and we will add them to our memorial page.
If you need help or support in your time of loss, please visit our resource guide. For more details on this project, please visit 11alive.com/MoreThanANumber.