Timeline - Information Shared Shortly After My Mother's Murder
At the time of my mother's murder in Des Moines, Iowa, my cousin was incarcerated in the Des Moines County Jail.
After news of my mother's death spread through the jail, another inmate approached my cousin to offer his condolences. According to my cousin, the inmate said that my mother, Sue, was a nice person and that she "didn't deserve what happened."
The inmate then made a startling statement. He told my cousin that he had witnessed what happened but was not personally involved. He claimed that the two men responsible were Richard Millsap and Sammy Heard Jr.
My cousin also recalled that this inmate was reportedly a member of a prominent Muslim family in Des Moines, although he was never able to remember the man's name.
This information has remained with my family for many years. I cannot independently verify the inmate's account, but because of the specificity of the names provided and the circumstances under which the information was shared, I believe it is important to document it as part of the timeline surrounding my mother's unsolved murder.
One reason the name Richard Millsap has remained significant to my family is that my brother clearly remembers taking my mother to Richard Millsap's residence less than a week before her death. This is a firsthand memory that has remained consistent over the years.
At the time, neither my brother nor anyone else in our family had any reason to believe that visit would later become significant. It was only after my mother's murder—and after my cousin was told that the inmate claimed Richard Millsap was involved—that my brother realized the importance of remembering where he had taken her.
I will return to Richard Millsap later in this timeline, as his name appears again in connection with other events and information I uncovered during my investigation into my mother's unsolved murder.
