June 3 – HIGH POINT – When 25-year-old minister Robert Booth was shot and killed outside his condominium south of High Point in late May 2021, his parents expressed concern that his homicide could at some point become a case cold.
As the timeline enters the third year that Booth’s case is unsolved, his mother, Deneka, and father, Rodney, say their reservations have been realized. Every day that passes since Robert Booth’s death reduces the chances of someone being brought to justice, said Booth’s parents, who live in Winder, Georgia.
The High Point Police Department said in a statement that detectives are continuing to investigate Booth’s homicide.
“At this time, detectives do not have an update on this case,” the statement read. “Anyone with information is encouraged to contact High Point Crime Stoppers.”
Booth was shot on the evening of May 25, 2021 in the parking lot of Eastgate Village Condominiums on Ardale Drive. At the time, police said they were looking for a maroon-colored SUV, possibly a Nissan Rogue.
The Booths remain in contact with the police regarding the investigation. Deneka Booth called detectives on May 25 – the anniversary of her son’s death.
Deneka Booth said detectives may have an idea who was responsible for her son’s homicide, but don’t have enough evidence to make an arrest.
“There is not enough legal evidence to bring charges that will stand,” she said.
Deneka Booth said she believes the only way to solve the case is for someone – perhaps someone arrested for another crime in hopes of having their own charges reduced – to come forward to identify a aggressor.
The Booths scour social media sites for clues or ideas about their son’s homicide. The couple say they believe three people were involved and that her death was part of a retaliatory attack at their apartment complex.
“A lady who was there when it happened said Robert had come out to talk to the gentleman and calm him down,” Deneka Booth told The Enterprise. “The boys were actually going to turn away after he talked to them.”
Someone then called out the name of a girl who was one of the targets of the retaliatory attack.
“And they just started shooting,” she said.
At the time he was killed, Booth had a 2-year-old son and five days earlier had obtained his pastoral installation certificate as a minister.
His parents remain convinced that their son’s death was not random, that he was shot while acting on his Christian faith and sense of decency in trying to transform the lives of people on the fringes of crime. .
The Booths say they take comfort in knowing that their son lost his life trying to improve the status of others.
“It doesn’t relieve the pain of the whole situation,” Rodney Booth said. “But at least it comforts us to know he was doing the right thing. Someone was shooting the family he was dealing with.”
Deneka Booth said she is proud that her son is leading marches and intervening in lives to try to end the violence in High Point.
“He brought awareness there and ended up being like a martyr,” she said. “His life had a purpose.”
pjohnson@hpenews.com — 336-888-3528 — @HPEpaul