50 Cent and T.I. are calling for an investigation into the 2018 death of Tamla Horsford after family attorney Ralph Fernandez presented his review of new evidence which suggests homicide could be "a strong possibility," WSB-TV reports.
Horsford, of Forsyth County, Georgia, was found dead in the backyard on November 4, 2018, the morning after attending an "adult slumber party" with several people. A medical examiner determined that Horsford's injuries supported a witness account claiming she fell off the balcony in the middle of the night. The report stated that there was no foul play involved in her death, which was deemed "accidental" and partly attributed to "acute ethanol intoxication," while the fall caused multiple blunt force injuries.
Fernandez disputes the initial findings, siding with the medical examiner hired by her family, who found extensive injuries all over her body. "It appears Tamla was involved in a struggle," he wrote in a letter. "There were abrasions consistent with that scenario. There were parallel scratches to one arm. Since they were fresh, photos would not have proven recent use of defensive force. There was one x-ray, yet the injury noted as the cause of death appears nowhere."
"Witness statements are in conflict," Fernandez continued. "A potential subject handled the body as well as the evidence prior to law enforcement arriving. Evidence was disposed of and no inquiry followed. The scene was not preserved. A remarkable fact is that there were no photographs taken during the autopsy of Tamla’s body. This had to have been done at someone's directive because such a practice is unheard of."
In addition to the seven white woman who attended the "adult slumber party," Horsford, a mother of five, was joined by three men. One of which was Jose Barrera, who was dating the woman who owned the home where the death took place. Barrera, a former pre-trial services officer for Forsyth County court, was fired on Dec. 20, 2018 after he was found illegally accessing a report from the incident.
Three days earlier, Dayton Daily Newsreports Barrera received a letter informing him that he had been placed on leave for an "investigation pertaining to you using your position to access confidential files on a current investigation surrounding a death in which you were a witness." His firing sparked renewed interest in the pursuit of justice for Horsford's death.
An incident report for the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office alleges that Barrera allegedly gained access to information on Horford's friend Michelle Graves, who had been publicly calling the entire closed investigation into question.
A Change.org petition to reopen her case has received nearly 552,000 signatures. To learn more about Horford's death, click here. You can read 50 Cent and T.I.'s posts below.
