"How did we lose a child in the most brutal 11 seconds and after 33 hits?" Parents of the murdered American at the trial for Serbs, without the key witness, waitress Danica
Jill and Phil Henderson also visited the place where Bakari Henderson was killed in Greece
- We hope and pray that no family will experience the same thing as we did - said Phil Henderson, father of Bakari (22), who was beaten to death in July last year on Zakynthos. His testimony was one of the first.
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Six of the defendants were sitting behind him, mostly Serbs, charged with first-degree murder, for which they could go to prison for life. The other three will face a smaller penalty.
- Our lives have changed. Bakari was a beautiful young man who had a very bright future - continued Phil Henderson.
His statements, first of all, regarded the inability to understand how could such a tragedy occur and searching for the answers which would bring them at least a bit of peace.
- 14 months... we have waited for this trial. And every day we ask "why did it happen" - Phil Henderson told the Greek television Antenna.
Why was this 22 years old really killed, the question that his parents hope to find an answer during the trial.
- The parents of the victims want justice. However, they are also looking for answers to how they lost a child in a brutal 11 seconds - said Chris Woldi, one of three lawyers representing Henderson.
The blurry videos from security cameras from July 2017 display Bakari who is being dragged into a fight in the club and then the fatal fight continued in the street. The reason for that was a selfie the young men made with a Serbian waitress in the club.
- There are so many Serbs in the bar, why are you talking to a black man? - one of the participants in the indictment was quoted.
The last minutes of his life were recorded with a much clearer footage. In the attempt to escape the attackers, Bakari stumbles and falls to the ground where 10 people start hitting him. According to the indictment consisting of 55 pages, a group inflicted 33 hits in 11 seconds in early morning hours, by kicking him and hitting him, which were fatal. It was stated that they attacked him the intention to kill.
Henderson's parents came to Greece for the start of the trial. They visited the place where their son passed away.
- When I saw the place, everything got a new perspective. It is heartbreaking to see the distance Bakari had to run in an attempt to escape - said Jill Henderson, Bakari's mother.
Seven Serbs are among the nine accused. The five of them are in custody since the arrest - Nemanja Petrovic (18), Stevan Stojanovic (21), Dusan Rankovic (33), Milos Senic (25), Milos Ilic (18). Besides them, there is a Greek bartender among them, Jorgos Skijadopulos, and the Briton with origins from Bosnia and Herzegovina Amir Omerdzic.
(Telegraf.co.uk / M.Ro / LA Times)