19-year-old charged in Detroit father's murder three years ago

Years after father's murder, a 19-year-old is charged

Derrell Rockette, 32, was killed in December of 2022. Years of effort by his mother has finally paid off in the form of an arrest.

(FOX 2) - For Alisha Sanders, the room in her home that memorializes her son isn't the same as having him home. And until recently, she was no where closer to finding closure after he was murdered in 2022.

But a recent break in the case has led to the arrest and charge of a 19-year-old in connection with Derrell Rockette.

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Alisha Sanders says her son was "the life of the party."

"And he loved his family," she said. "This was a saying he used to say to me: ‘hey lady’."

Along with the room dedicated to her son, Rockette, a father of three who died at the age of 32, was a teddy bear he gifted her for Mother's Day.

"I get the teddy bear and I talk to him and put one of the throws over me. And I always tell him I’m not giving up. I’m not giving up on him," said Sanders.

Rockette was killed on Dec. 10, 2022. Footage was taken inside a home on Ashton Avenue on Detroit's west side.

Sanders appeared with Crime Stoppers and even founded a movement called Mothers Keeping Boots on the Ground to raise awareness for those who have also lost loved ones.

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Now, more than three years later, Darnell Franklin Jr., 19, has been charged with first-degree murder and numerous weapons charges.

Having the support of other parents who have lost kids was what helped, Sanders said.

"We were on the police, on the mayor, the deputy mayor, just everybody," she said.

She thanked Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison and Cmdr. Rebecca McKay for listening to her - hoping one day to feel closure - even if the arrest is not the end of the story.

"You should know that my son was loved. And I hope - I pray - that I can get some closure for my son. Because there’s no such thing as justice to me," said Sanders.

Franklin's bond was set at $250,000 cash surety.