He became one of the prime suspects of a quadruple
homicide investigation concerning the deaths of Ebora Alexander, aged
59, Dietra Alexander, aged 25, two boys Damon Bonner, aged 6, and Damani
Garner-Alexander, aged 12. These four individuals were relatives of
former NFL player and defensive back Kermit Alexander. Cox was also a
noted member of the Rollin' 60, one of the many sets affiliated to the
Crips, and actually still on parole on an unrelated charge.
Murders & Possible Motives
The events that occurred on August 31, 1984, are not
clear, but what is known is that two suspects, described as being male,
were seen bursting into the house of Miss Ebora Alexander (the mother of
Kermit Alexander) and opening fire, killing four people in the process.
Two other family members who had previously been hiding, managed to
scare off the gunmen, who were seen fleeing into a brown or maroon van.
Later the two suspects would be caught and identified
as Tiequon Cox, aged 18, and later a man Horace Edwin Burns, aged 20.
Both were known affiliates of the Rollin' 60. Burns was not one of the
gunman it would turn out, but a look-out, along with two women Lisa
Brown and Ida Moore, who drove the get-away vehicle. Darren Charles
Williams would later be caught and identified as the other gunman.
The reason behind the killings, was revealed to be
due to the fact that Darren Williams, another suspect who was also a
noted gang member, had purchased fake cocaine and sought revenge against
the dealer.
Unfortunately, Williams and the two other men ended
up at the wrong house, resulting in the deaths of four innocent
bystanders. It was actually stated that the three suspects had the right
house number but were on the wrong block. Although Cox was the youngest
of the three, and was therefore susceptible to "peer pressure", the
jury's decision was that he had actively taken part in the killings,
whether it had been just abetting was determined serious enough to
condemn.
In 1986, he was found guilty of four counts of 1st
degree murder, in accordance with premeditation laws, in the state of
California. The jury further determined that he should be sentenced to
death, placing him on death row.
Related Information
Tiequon Cox while on death row stabbed the late
Stanley "Tookie" Williams in 1988. This is depicted in the 2004 TV film
Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story.
On the afternoon of July 18, 2000, three inmates,
regarded as some of San Quentin's most dangerous prisoners, almost
escaped. The three, identified as Tiequon Cox, Paul Tuilaepa, and Noel
Jackson, all rushed towards a hole that had been unraveled from a four
foot section of a chain-link fence, nearly escaping with the intent of
securing themselves hostages.
However, the attempt failed and with some difficulty
the guards managed to get all three inmates subdued and back into a
controlled yard. But, the escape attempt left many guards re-addressing
the serious security problems that had been plaguing San Quentin for
years.
References in Literature
Several references are made about Cox and the 1984
murders he was suspected of and subsequently incarcerated for, in Leon
Bing's Do or Die, a book documenting the lives of at-risk youth in late
'80's inner city Los Angeles. This incident is also mentioned in the
book "Monster; A Biography of an L.A. Gang Member" written by Kody "Monster"
Scott, a member of the Eight Trey Gangsta Crips in L.A.
Wikipedia.org
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