Two times in as many years a memorial tree in the name of a murder victim has been stolen or destroyed at Crown Point.
The tree was planted to remember the life of a 16-year-old Curtis Williamson, who was murdered in 1997 and remains a San Diego police cold case.
Williamson is remembered as a happy, positive force in the lives of many people, none more so than his mother, Patricia Ward.
“That smile and that he could make your day no matter how bad the day was,“ Ward said.
She lives in Florida but had a tree planted in memory of her son at Crown Point in May of 2023. It was stolen within a year. Last Friday, the tree that replaced it was destroyed.
What’s left is a 2-foot orange cone. Underneath it are the roots of the tree, clearly broken off. It’s not a clean cut. Ward believes the people responsible for this and the theft of the original tree are the same people responsible for Williamson’s death. They wanted him buried, and now they want his memory buried.
“For you to go and destroy that tree, if that was the case, that’s a lot of hate,” Ward said.
Ward says it was the only one tampered with in the whole park.
“To be able to look at the red buds that was on it. The growth of it. People might want to know the story of the tree,” Ward said.
Williamson’s story is a sad one. In 1997, witnesses say he was involved in a brawl at Crown Point involving approximately 50 people. His body was found in the bay. It was originally thought to be an accident. After reexamining the case, it was ruled homicide.
The tree his mother had planted in his memory was pulled from the ground not even a year later.
“It was like a dirt spot. It was like it never ever existed, and so it was like he never existed,“ Ward said.
The tree that replaced it wasn’t just removed but mutilated. Friends of the family sent photos to Ward.
“When I seen that root, I was like, ‘Dang, they just gutted my son out.’ It takes you back to the grave sight,” Ward said.
Her efforts to discover the truth about his death led to passing Curtis’ Law, which allows parents access to investigations involving the death of their children. In that way, Williamson’s memory remains in the hearts of all parents of murdered children and in her own.
Ward is hoping for something more substantial to replace the tree, such as a bench or large stone.
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