Chicago phlebotomist and mother Sierra Jamison was tragically murdered just one month after speaking out against violence towards Black women in an interview with local Chicago news station WBBM-TV.
According to a Law and Crime report on Friday, September 22, 2023, the 30-year-old Jamison, who had celebrated her birthday just days earlier, was found strangled to death in the garage of a home she was renting on September 19th.
Jamison’s 6-year-old son, who had undergone open heart surgery and has a disability, was left without his mother.
During her August interview, Jamison spoke about being the victim of a carjacking at knife-point, saying “I’m not [going to] let this young man, with a knife at that, take anything I work hard away from me.”
She also mentioned her son, saying “he means a lot to me. And I’m not [going to] let this young man, with a knife at that, take anything I work hard away from me.”
The Chicago Police Department arrested 63-year-old Lawrence Curtis Boyle for Jamison’s murder. He was charged with first-degree murder two days after Jamison was found dead by her mother, Alice Jamison.
Jamison’s mother said her daughter had been renting the property where she was killed by a former co-worker and had plans to attend nursing school. She expressed devastation over her daughter’s tragic death, saying “I can’t wrap my mind around it.
Seeing her in this garage like that. I am really hurting right now. I want this man arrested, and I want him to go to jail for life.”
Just last month, she spoke out about being the victim of a carjacking and violence in Chicago, only to fall victim to the very thing she was speaking out against.
Boyle took the life of a young mother working hard to build a better life for her disabled son. Her senseless murder has left family and friends reeling, trying to make sense of the horrific and violent way she died.
Jamison’s mother is demanding justice, calling for Boyle to go to jail for life for robbing her daughter of the chance to watch her son grow up. Sadly, this bright young phlebotomist’s story underscores the deeper societal issues around violence that particularly impact Black women.
Jamison’s chilling murder just one month after bravely sharing her own experience with violence will hopefully continue the discussion on solving these systemic issues. No one should have to fear the very violence they speak out against.
Jamison’s loved ones hope her tragic death will lead to meaningful changes that prevent things like this from happening in the future. Her son lost his brave mother, and Chicago lost a promising young woman trying to build a better life for her family.