Thursday, April 01, 1999

Mother treats pain of unsolved homicides

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Burden reaches out to victim's families

BY TANYA BRICKING
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Leathea Wooten Burden holds a photo of her slain son, Alan, and two of his children. (Yoni Pozner photo) | ZOOM |

        She sees herself as a mentor who can help prostitutes redirect their lives and a prophet for people who need spiritual guidance.

        What Leathea Wooten Burden has in common with most people whose lives she touches is that at her core, she's simply a mother trying to make it in the world.

        Ms. Burden, 66, lost a son to a shooting nine years ago today. To ease her pain, the Walnut Hills woman is organizing a support group for families of victims of unsolved homicides.

        Alan Wooten's death remains unsolved. The 27-year-old father of three was shot in the back of the head in the West End.

        For his mother, part of getting over it has come through growing close to other families whose children have been slain. She regularly speaks at their funerals.

        Homicides have plummeted across the country in the last few years. A 20-year low was reached in Los Angeles last year, and a 30-year low in New York. Killings also were down in Chicago, New Orleans, Dallas, Baltimore and San Francisco.

        Cincinnati, which had 40 homicides the previous year, investigated 28 in 1998. Some suburban areas, such as Warren County, reported no homicides.

        But several families grappled last year with unsolved deaths, such as the English Woods family of Corey Blye, 22. They still don't know who shot him in the head after he left a party Jan. 3, 1998.

        And the family of Dale Hoerst, 27, of Dent, never learned who shot him to death in his car July 19 at Cutter and Court streets in the West End.

        In her modest apartment, Ms. Burden keeps newspa per clippings of dozens of other unsolved deaths. She knows there are people feeling the same pain she does.

        Ms. Burden spends her days trying to do ministry in the neighborhood. She's the woman who talks to street people and prostitutes and hands out spare change. She also goes to police and City Hall when she hears about neighborhood concerns.

        “I'm for helping people overcome their grief and their burdens,” she said.

        Nethanel Nasi of Evanston, founder of Mothers of Murdered Sons and Daughters (MOMS), runs in the same circles as Ms. Burden, working with families dealing with tragedies.

        “She's very concerned about the homicides going on in this city and around the country,” Mr. Nasi said. “She's doing great work getting around and talking to young people and going to funerals.”

        The task for both of them, he said, is keeping participation alive for people who tend to go into shells after grief.

NEED SUPPORT?
        • Word about Leathea Wooten Burden's support group is put out through Walnut Hills churches. Others can write her at 2500 Kemper Lane, Cincinnati, OH 45206.

       

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