Almost everybody you talk to wants to solve the Timmy Clark murder in the worst way.
Naturally, the mother of the 15-year-old Tacony boy who was gunned down about a block from his house last July tops the list. But to date, Bette Ann Clark has received no such closure.
Hundreds of relatives and friends want Clark’s killer brought to justice, too, as evidenced by the mass of them who turned out for a beef-and-beer fund-raiser and candlelight vigil held in his memory last weekend.
Members of Damien Holloway’s family echoed that sentiment during Sunday’s vigil on the 6900 block of Vandike St.
Holloway was the 27-year-old man and family friend killed alongside Clark as they walked toward Clark’s home following an early-morning trip to a local convenience store.
Even police contacted by the Northeast Times say that the Clark case is one of those that sticks in their craw, the kind of murder that somehow seems even more senseless than most in a city still ailing from an epidemic of violence.
"This affects everyone," Bette Ann Clark said as a crowd of about 100 mourners marched the short distance from the Clark home to the murder scene, retracing the victim’s final steps on the one-year anniversary of the double slaying.
"It could be you walking down the street. (A killer) could be somebody in the store with you, standing behind you in line."
The Clark-Holloway murders occurred at about 2:20 a.m. on July 13, 2007. Clark and Holloway decided to go for a nighttime snack and to stock up for work the next day. Clark helped out Holloway in a landscaping business. Holloway was staying with Clark, his mom and two brothers, on a temporary basis after a recent move.
Gunfire erupted while they were returning from a 7-Eleven about two blocks from the house. Both were shot once in the head at close range.
At the time, Holloway’s daughter Aniyah was 8 months old. The girl was born with cerebral palsy, according to her mother, Andrea Drummond.
"I miss him. Somebody needs to speak up," Drummond said.
Folks are equally at a loss to explain a motive for the crime. By all accounts, Clark was a "good kid" who didn’t get into any serious trouble.
"He was going in the right direction. He was only fifteen. Everybody liked him. He had a lot of friends," Jim McBride, Timmy’s uncle, said of his godson.
Likewise, members of both families say that Holloway was a likable sort who wasn’t involved in the kind of activities that often lead to street violence, such as the drug trade.
"It’s a sad state for both people. Maybe I’m naïve, but to me, it’s just circumstance," said Danielle Langford, cousin to Holloway. "I think it was the wrong place at the wrong time."
One of the primary objectives of last weekend’s activities was to raise money for the growing reward being offered to anyone who provides that key bit of information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer or killers.
The Saturday night benefit at Sheffield Tavern raised about $2,000 to push the fund over the $10,000 level. The following afternoon, family and friends of Clark gathered again for the block party-style cookout. There was no shortage of fond memories.
"I just had a dream last night about him," said Matt Clark, 20, Timmy’s brother. "It was so real because I was actually talking to him. Then I woke up and it wasn’t real. It seemed so real."
"Not a second goes by without me thinking of him," Bette Ann Clark said. "He was shy but he had the best sense of humor. He made people laugh."
At one point, a half dozen teen girls hoofed it from Clark’s house to his gravesite in a cemetery at Frankford and Cheltenham avenues. It’s about 15 blocks one way.
"He would always come to my house and play with my little cousins. He’s never going to be forgotten, ever," said one of the girls, Claudia Dominguez.
Clark’s best pal couldn’t even bring himself to speak about losing his lifelong friend, so he asked his mom to do it.
"His life will never be the same without Timmy," Lisa Weaver said of her son, Frankie. "He’s taking it real hard. Frankie was with Timmy 24/7."
"It’s very, very hard on the kids. This is why I try to include them in everything," Bette Ann Clark said. "It’s part of the healing process, if there is such a thing."
Members of the Holloway family rely on their faith to deal with their loss.
"It’s been hard, but we learn to cope," father Eugene Holloway said. "We know he’s in a better place."
Bette Ann Clark kept a bright face throughout the day, but she was unable to hold back her tears during the dusk vigil. Youths made a banner with their personal messages written on it and hung it on a fence overlooking the patch of sidewalk where both victims perished.
Bette Ann Clark and other mourners led a round of prayers. Clark read a poem that she found on the Internet about another mother who lost her child.
Members of the group released a bunch of green balloons into the sky as "kisses to heaven."
Following a moment of silence, Clark implored the group, "Let’s all pray that justice will be served." Call police at 215-686-3334 to report information about the shootings of Timmy Clark and Damien Holloway. •• Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com