DETROIT – Ten years later and a Detroit mother is seeking justice for her son, Petty Officer Terrence Hill Jr., who was killed on Detroit’s west side.
His mother, Julia Spencer, wants people to take another look at photos of her son. She’s hoping for tips leading to the arrest of his murderer.
It was a Friday, on Detroit’s west side on Manor Street near Seven Mile Road. Hill was sitting in his vehicle around 2:30 a.m. when an unknown suspect walked up to his vehicle and demanded a personal item from him.
The suspect shot Hill in the chest and fled the scene.
“His wallet was stolen and his Timberland boots were taken off his feet on January 4 (2013), in the cold, in the snow,” says Spencer. “My son was left on the sidewalk.”
Spencer says he was on a date with the woman who was in the truck with him.
Hill was her oldest son and enlisted in the Navy when he was 17 years old.
Spencer says her son was working to get his E-6 ranking when he was murdered. His plan was to retire at 37 to become a military recruiter.
“But at the age of 24, someone decided that that was enough for him,” says Spencer.
Over the years, Spencer has given back to those in need, in honor of Hill.
“I wish I could do more in his name. But I’m still fighting with, ‘Who did it?’” says Spencer. “I don’t know if I’m walking in the store and the person holding the door did it, I don’t know if I go to the theater and buy a ticket; if I’m sitting next to the person.”
She has a message for that person who did take her son’s life: “I’m working on forgiving you but I need you to be accountable, because every breath you breathe, you stole from Terrence,” says Spencer.
Anyone with information related to Terrence Hill Jr.’s murder should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK UP. Tips to Crime Stoppers are always anonymous.
Crime Stoppers offers a reward of up to $2,500 for information that leads to an arrest.