The Murder of Timothy Peart

For this case, I watched an episode of Homicide Hunter. It’s season 7 episode 14, titled ‘Timothy Peart’s Last Dance.’ There is very little information out there about this case, so all of my research is based on this episode. I also couldn’t find any photos of anyone involved in this case.

A 16-year-old boy is killed at a house party.

Background

Timothy ‘Tim’ Peart was born on February 1, 1976. At the time of his death, he was a sophomore at Sierra High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Tim was described as a good student, a caring person, and as the heart of his family.

The Party

On November 21, 1992, Tim’s friends Arthur Jones and Bobby Dickerson, who had just moved in together, decided to throw a party.

Tim’s older brother Tyrone was also in attendance, and was a talking head in this episode. Tyrone said there were a lot of people there, all crammed into a two bedroom apartment. Tyrone saw Tim dancing and talking with two girls.

Just a few minutes later, a shot rang out. Tyrone looked into the living room, and saw people gathered around an individual. It was Tim, and he was lying on the floor. He had just been shot, and was clutching his chest. He couldn’t speak, but Tyrone wanted him to know that he was there.

The police were called. Lt. Joe Kenda, and Detective J.D. Walker arrived at the scene.

The Feud

The police had several witnesses that had fled after the shooting. However, not a lot of people wanted to speak to the police.

The police did speak to a young girl that had been dancing with Tim at the party. In the episode, she’s referred to as Cheryl.

Cheryl said she and her friend had met Tim and Arthur that day at the mall. Cheryl and Tim were very flirty, and Tim invited them to the party that night.

Cheryl said she and Tim were dancing and flirting most of the night. At one point she turned away, and heard a loud noise. She then saw Tim fall to the floor, and heard Arthur yelling.

Cheryl told the police that Bobby, Tim’s friend, might have more information. That’s when Bobby told them that he saw two black males in red jackets fleeing the scene. Bobby said he believed the men were members of the Bloods gang.

Bobby said Tim was targeted because most of the partygoers were wearing blue, the color of the Crips gang, the rival of the Bloods.

The Friend

It didn’t take long for the police to believe that Bobby was lying about the gang theory. They asked Bobby to show them where the men went after shooting Tim.

The police canvassed the area, but didn’t find a murder weapon. They also didn’t find any footprints, which was odd, because the grass was wet on that particular night.

The police couldn’t find anyone that Tim had a feud with. They decided to go to the hospital to speak to Tim. Sadly, Tim passed away from a single gunshot wound to the chest. He was only 16 years old.

Tim’s mom was devastated, but she had information for the police. She said Tim was a good person, and was not involved in the lifestyle that his friends were.

She was getting ready for work when Tim had asked her if he could go to the party. She told him no, and left. Later when she arrived home, she saw the police outside. Arthur also ran up to her, and told her he had shot Tim. He was devastated, and said he now wanted to kill himself.

The Search

According to the information from Tim’s mom, Arthur was headed to the local middle school. A BOLO (be on the lookout) was put out for him.

There was a lot of information and rumors that Arthur had already committed suicide.

While the police were searching for Arthur, a witness came into the station with information. She’s referred to as Crystal, and she was the friend of Cheryl.

Crystal told Lt. Kenda that she had lied in her earlier statement, because she didn’t want to be labeled as a snitch. Crystal said Arthur was pretty intoxicated at the party. He and Tim were horsing around, and play fighting and slapping each other.

Crystal said that’s when Arthur pulled out a gun. He started twirling it around, and suddenly it went off. Arthur started screaming, and ran off. Bobby then told the partygoers to tell the police that Tim was shot by Bloods gang members.

The next morning, Arthur, still alive, turned himself in.

The Conviction

On August 28, 1993, Arthur Jones pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide. He was sentenced to two years in prison.

FINAL THOUGHTS

While I do think it was an accident, Arthur still killed his friend, who was only 16. He probably believed in the gang lifestyle, or maybe had a gun for protection, and thought it’d be cool to carry it around.

I’m sure he has a lot of guilt even today, at least I’d hope so. Tyrone said he knows that Arthur didn’t mean to kill his brother, and forgives him.

Sources

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/12945900/timothy-peart

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7460986/