The heartbroken parents of a Tennessee graduate who was raped and killed inside of her own apartment are demanding justice for their daughter’s untimely death.
Aaliyah Kyles, 19, was found dead – shot several times and unclothed in the bathtub of her Memphis home on July 9, 2024 at around 3 am.
Dressed in all black, the culprit reportedly crept in through a window and was seen fleeing from the Hickory Hill apartment complex after shots rang out, according to investigators.
‘The suspect admitted to breaking into her apartment, sexually assaulting her, and fatally shooting her,’ Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy wrote in a statement.
Mulroy is requesting the 17-year-old accused of the heinous crimes against Kyles be tried as an adult. He was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and rape last week.
‘The differences between juvenile and adult consequences for the same crimes can be vast,’ Mulroy wrote.
‘That said, the victim, Aaliyah Kyles, was a teenager too with a promising life ahead of her…Seeking justice for Aaliyah and her family warrants this request.’
Kyles’ parents believe their daughter’s gut-wrenching death was preventable, and have alleged the apartment complex’s lackluster security measures made the fatal break-in possible.
Aaliyah Kyles, 19, was found shot dead and unclothed in the bathtub of her Memphis home on July 9, 2024 at around 3 am
Kyles was a hardworking and outgoing daughter, sister and friend who had just moved into her very own apartment
The 17-year-old accused of the heinous crimes against Kyles may be tried as an adult. He was arrested and charged with charged with first-degree murder and rape last week
They are taking legal action against the company that owns The Boulevard Apartments, where Kyles lived, as well as the site’s property manager and security company.
Montina and Anthony Kyles are suing for $30 million in compensatory and punitive damages, WREG reported.
They have claimed the property was not sufficiently secured, despite having an extensive history of homicides, robberies and assaults.
‘We’re learning he (the suspect) biked onto the property. He had easy access to the property and broke into her home,’ the family’s lawyer Esperanza King told WREG.
‘This apartment complex seems to be the epicenter of crime in the Hickory Hill area.’
The complaint alleges there is a ‘complete lack of security measures’ and not enough fences and gates in the complex to keep tenants safe at The Boulevard Apartments and the neighboring Parkway Apartments, owned by the same company.
Between July 2019 to July 2024, there have been five homicides, 85 aggravated assaults, 224 assaults, 54 burglaries or break-ins, and 28 weapons violations between the two apartment complexes, King told WREG.
There were more than 2,000 reported crimes within a quarter-mile radius of the property over the same five-year period, the city’s public safety map has revealed.
Since July 2024, there have been more than 300 police reports filed within the area – including three homicides.
The heartbroken parents of the recent graduate are demanding justice for their daughter’s untimely death
Kyles’ family has taken legal action against the apartment complex their daughter lived in, claiming it was unsafe and lacked sufficient security
‘This is not the only apartment complex in Memphis that doesn’t seem to secure their property, provide security to their tenants and has high rates of crime,’ King said to WREG.
Kyles has been described by loved ones as determined, hardworking and outgoing. After graduating high school, she moved into her very own apartment – eager to embark on her journey into adulthood.
‘We should have had more time,’ Montina told WREG a few days after her daughter was attacked and murdered. ‘She was only 19. She hadn’t even started to live life.’
Her father, who referred to her as his ‘everything,’ tearfully said she was the ‘glue’ to their family.
‘It’s been hard for us, real hard. Because they took someone that means so much to me,’ Anthony explained.
According to a GoFundMe organized on behalf of the grieving family, Kyles had worked at a Germantown Chick-fil-A since 2023.
‘Aaliyah was a beloved daughter, sister, cousin, and friend,’ the page reads.
DailyMail.com has reached out to The Boulevard Apartments for comment.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .