Van Henry Brisbon, 60, was charged with murder. He has not yet appeared in court. The bond has not been determined. The victim, identified as 16-year-old Lauren Juma, had her whole life ahead of her. The teenager had just joined the Nimitz High School cheerleading team and dreamed of joining her older sister in the US Air Force after graduation. But now, her family is devastated. The tragic series of events began early Friday morning when Juma Facetimed with her mother and one of her older sisters. “It was 1 o’clock in the morning, and he just said he was very curious and wanted me to come and get it,” said Keryca Harmon, Lauren’s 19-year-old sister. “That’s what I did.” But Harmon would never be able to see her sister alive again. “When I got there, the police were already out there looking around the house,” Harmon said, with tears in his eyes. “I was there about three minutes before I heard two shots and I ran home.” According to court records, Lauren told her mom, Laurie Young, on her Facetime call that Brisbon was standing in her room in the dark and wanted her mother to tell him to leave, which she did. Lauren then screamed, “Mom has a gun,” court records say. The call was then terminated. Meanwhile, Young, who was on a job training program in Austin, hurried back to the house she had been sharing with Brisbon and her daughter for three years. “He was 16. He just joined the cheerleading team,” recalls the devastated mother. “She had a bright future ahead of her and was about to go to the US Air Force when she graduated.” Family members who had known Brisbon in recent years said on the outside that he looked friendly and had no problems. “He just looked so good when we met him,” recalls Antoinette Buckley’s cousin. “No one thought that would happen.” Harmon told ABC13 that Brisbon was “strange” in the past. Investigators at the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit have not identified a possible motive. “It can rot in prison,” Yang said, her voice breaking with emotion. “He had no reason to take my baby’s life. Sixteen years old.” Statement by Aldine ISD: “This morning, the district was notified of the death of one of our Nimitz High School students who died early Friday morning. We are deeply saddened to learn of her death. Our community mourns her death. Our thoughts and prayers. She is with her family, loved ones and friends at this very difficult time.Counselors and the district crisis team have been mobilized to respond to this tragic event and will be available to students and staff to assist them in this at a difficult time. “ Copyright © 2022 KTRK-TV. All rights reserved.
