NBJC

What happened to Mikayla Miller?

We continue to mourn the loss and fight for justice and accountability for Mikayla Miller, a 16-year-old LGBTQ+ girl who was found dead on April 18, 2021, in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. The state medical examiner has ruled the death a suicide, but Mikayla’s mother Calvina Strothers and NBJC still believe Mikayla was murdered. A press conference was held on May 19th, where Benjamin Crump, civil rights lawyer and NBJC board member, David J. Johns, NBJC Executive Director, Tito Jackson, former member of the Boston City Council, Monica Cannon-Grant, CEO and founder of Violence in Boston Inc., and Calvina Strothers discussed the case. In addition to being mishandled by the Hopkinton police, there are 5 factors in the case that don’t add up:

1. There is no way Mikayla could have killed herself. She was found standing upright (not hanging) with a belt tied around her neck, which was tied to a tree that is not tall or sturdy enough to withstand her body weight. Mikayla was wearing a tracksuit that did not require/need a belt and the belt does not belong to Mikayla or her mother
2. 5 white teenagers are involved but have not been implicated. Mikayla was jumped by 5 white teenagers the night of April 17th around 6:30pm ET. Mikayla’s mother called the police to report this incident at or around 7:30 pm ET.
3. Curiously it was not until after public pressure from Calvina and Monica that records of Calvina and Mikayla reporting the first incident were made public. The names or involvement of the white teenagers have not been included in any of the reporting to date, we do not believe they have been questioned or detailed.
4. 2 out of the 5 white teenagers have relationships to the local police department.
5. Calvina has a prior case that was supposed to be dismissed. When she engaged the local police department, they used this case and assumed shame around Mikayla’s sexual identity to suggest Calvina not make a big deal about her daughter.

To spread awareness about #MikaylaMiller and join the fight for justice and accountability, use #JusticeForMikayla, #JusticeForMikaylaMiller, and #BlackLGBTQLivesMatter.

Sign the Black Lives Matter petition demanding District Attorney Marian Ryan release the autopsy results and conduct an independent investigation into Mikayla’s death HERE.