Action News Jax hearing from family members of a woman killed in the College Gardens area, hours after police say they arrested her killer.
On Monday the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of James Hunter, in connection to the murder of Sierra McKenzie.
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Family members said they are relieved JSO has made an arrest, but they say justice won’t be served until the man responsible is convicted.
“She was a love[ly], kind person, she was an outgoing person,” McKenzie’s daughter Kamya Cockfield said.
McKenzie was only 33 years old. She was a daughter, mother, grandmother, and sister.
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“She was like a butterfly. She was full of life. She still lives full of life in my heart,” McKenzie’s sister-in-law Roshelle Taylor said.
It’s been nearly four weeks since JSO found McKenzie’s body on the sidewalk on College Circle South in College Gardens. Officials said she was shot and killed there.
“To just take her life like that, it hurts,” Taylor said.
Hunter had already been in jail for multiple outstanding warrants. And police said they tied him to another violent crime that happened just days after McKenzie’s death.
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It involved a home invasion robbery where police said Hunter stole a car and shot two people in the face. The victims suffered from critical injuries but survived.
On Monday, JSO added murder and attempted murder charges accusing him of killing McKenzie.
“It’s senseless behavior, and I hope if he did do it, that the judge gives him everything that he deserves,” Taylor said.
She said they did not know him at all.
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“No relationship, no affiliation, haven’t seen him, don’t know him on Facebook, no family gatherings,” Taylor said.
Now, the family wants justice.
“It’s a lot, I think about her almost every day,” Cockfield said. “Hopefully there is closure that everybody can just have.”
Hunter’s next court date is set for Feb. 25.
Anyone with information is asked to call JSO at (904) 630-0500 or First Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.
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