CITY VOICES
FIRST PERSON
Searching for justice for Travis Monroe
WILLIAM S. COLEMAN III AND JENNA FITZGERALD
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FILE PHOTO/BET TY JENEWIN
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here could never be something more painful than the loss of a loved one. Every day someone will get a call that a relative has passed or has gone missing. Christie Berry, the mother of Travis Monroe, a 17-year-old young Black teenager, who in 2006 never returned home from a night out with friends, has experienced this nightmare. Christie Berry has been fighting to seek the truth and justice for her son Travis since that October night in 2006. In a heartfelt article she wrote for the Incity Times, she discussed the injustice she has experienced, discrepancies within his investigation conveniently labeled as “Administrative issues,” issues with chain of command, following appropriate protocols, prejudice, victim-blaming — which is apparent in the language used in police reports to pull accountability away from whomever did this to Travis and place it on Travis himself — and the way those within this system are protected more than those this system were sworn to protect. Travis was a good student who attended Burncoat High School. He had dreams of becoming a lawyer and was well respected by his peers and friends. Travis was often looked at as the mediator between his peers if there was a problem.
Christie Berry, the mother of Travis Monroe, a Worcester teen who was found dead in the roadway on Fales Street on October 1, 2006, with a large collage of photos and mementos of her son, which was put together by neighbors and friends for her.
Travis was never a problem child. He did not drink or do drugs, made good decisions, and was a great son whose life was cut short at 17. Someone knows something about what happened to Travis Monroe. We are asking you to please come forward and clear your conscience to allow his mother, his family, friends and community justice and closure. If you know anything at all of what happened to Travis that night in 2006, say something. We reached out to both the Worcester Police Department and The office of District Attorney Joe Early Jr for an official statement on
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the Travis Monroe case. The District Attorney’s office and the Worcester Police Department, through Walter Bird of the City Manager’s office, have both stated that this is still an open investigation and they invite anyone
who has any knowledge of what may have happened to Travis to come forward and contact them. There are many unsolved homicide cases in Worcester County. Help from the public is needed to bring justice and closure to the
families of lost ones. If you have any information or know someone that does, please contact the Worcester Police Department or the District Attorney’s Office. WPD: http:worcesterma.gov/ police/investigations/unresolvedcases. You can send an anonymous text to 274637 TIPWPD + your message or send an anonymous web-based message. Calls can also be made to the Worcester Police Detective Bureau at (508) 799-8651. Worcester County District Attorney’s office: Phone: (508) 755-8601 or https://worcesterda. com.
