WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Calls for justice were loud and clear Monday morning outside State Attorney Dave Aronberg’s office.
Relatives of Demetrius Newkirk Jr. said he went out to a party with friends on Halloween in 2001. After he came home for the night, they said, he was stabbed and died on the way to a hospital.
Newkirk's cousin, Kenneth Peterkin, said he believes he knows who is responsible.
"Basically, he became deceased, he lost his life by being stabbed by his girlfriend, that we know of," Peterkin said. "We are trying to figure out why (the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office) dragged its feet, why Aronberg hasn't even looked into this case. It's almost like they swept my cousin under the rug, and I also found out she's a corrections officer. We're just looking for justice."
They also want clarity about what happened in the Pahokee apartment that led to someone dead.
"This kid has never had an act where he just jumped on a woman, and he has had previous girlfriends and he has never done that," Peterkin said.
WPTV contacted the state attorney's office to learn more about the investigation. A spokesman for the office issued the following statement:
“It is our understanding that it is a pending investigation by law enforcement. We do not have the case and we are unable to comment about it. We are sorry for the family’s loss and expressed our condolences to the family today.”
A spokeswoman for the sheriff's office said the initial investigation was delivered to the state attorney's office but was sent back and is listed as open.
"We're still at odds because we're trying to figure out why the PBSO, the detective who has this case, hasn't done anything," Peterkin said. "The state attorney's office hasn't reached out to her. No one has reached out to her or the father about what happened to their son."
Detectives said they are still collecting evidence and encourage anyone with info to give them a call.