Man accused of killing Detroit mother held on a $4M bond
(CBS DETROIT) – Police have arrested the man they believe killed a Detroit mother days after Christmas.
Tracie Golden was walking out of a liquor store when the suspect shot her during a carjacking.
"When you see someone like her, she represents all of us, innocence," Detroit Police Chief James White said Tuesday.
Golden stopped at the store on Grand River Avenue and West Outer Drive on her way home from work.
The surveillance video shows Golden exiting the store as a man walks up to steal her car and open fire.
"She was victimized by someone who had no respect for her, no respect for themselves, no respect for our community and no respect for life," White said.
Detroit Police say that person is Bradley Thurman, 19, who allegedly robbed a family dollar on East Seven Mile the day after the shooting and left Golden's car at the scene.
"Investigators were alerted to that robbery and paid very close attention to a number of different things with regards to that robbery, including the suspect's gait, how he walks," White said.
Using the city's real-time crime center, investigators tracked down and arrested Thurman on Friday, Jan 13.
"There is no closure," John Golden, her husband, told reporters Tuesday. "Not to me. This is something that we will have to live with for the rest of our lives."
He added that he wouldn't forget the smile of the 53-year-old respiratory therapist.
"That's what pulled a lot of people through adversity, just her smile and conversation," John Golden said.
In the days following the tragedy, several businesses in the area stepped up security with the help of safety advocates in the community.
"Folks that are using weapons in our community. Folks who have victimized our community will be relentlessly pursued," White said.
Thurman was arraigned Monday on several charges, including premeditated first-degree murder.
His bond is set at four million dollars.
