Murder charges filed in death of Memphis 6-year-old; family reacts

Two men have been indicted on first-degree murder charges in the death of 6-year-old Aison Golden. 

The boy was fatally shot while inside his home in Frayser on April 11. Shots were fired into the window, striking and killing Aison in front of the stove, said Jennifer Brown, his mother.

Aison had run into the house with his brother after they saw guns outside. Brown was in the car. Within five minutes, she said, her son had been shot. The family was headed to the 6th birthday party of Aison's brother, Jaheim. 

"Now we have to figure out how to incorporate Aison's death and Jaheim's birthday forever, for the rest of our lives," Brown said. 

Ronnekio Johnson, 27, and James Murphy, 27, were also indicted on 14 counts of attempted first-degree murder, 14 counts of employment of a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony, 14 counts of aggravated assault, three counts of reckless endangerment, and enhancement of punishment for use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, according to a release from Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich.

According to the release, witnesses to the event said two men fired multiple shots into at least two homes with more than a dozen children inside or in the yard. The suspects, who were seen with guns, according to the news release, then fled in separate vehicles.

While the indictments bring some closure, Brown still wants to know why shots were fired at Aison. 

"What was your purpose?" she said.

More:Memphis family grieves for 6-year-old killed in shooting; counselors left to console by phone

Nearly four months have passed since his death. Aison was her shadow, Brown said. 

He loved superheroes, animals, music and dancing, his family told The Commercial Appeal. They gathered together in April at Westside Elementary, where he went to school, for a balloon release. 

Brown had trouble talking about life since then. 

The birth of her first grandchild, Kayson, has been a bright spot in recent weeks. His name is a mix of the names of his mom, Kaylei, and Aison. Kaylei Brown, Jennifer's oldest child, taught Aison and her other brothers their manners. She remembered he'd sometimes bring her bouquets of little yellow flowers.

The pandemic derailed the family's plans to gather this summer for a five-generation photo. Wilmer Kerns, 89, lives in Virginia and has authored books about history and genealogy. Though he worked in Memphis during the civil rights era and for a couple of years in the early 1950s, he now lives in Virginia, and never had the chance to meet Aison, his great-grandson.  

"If I'm still living next year, that (visit) is my No. 1 priority," Kerns said by phone Thursday. "To go visit, spend some time with the family and get a picture. A five-generation picture is rare."

Kerns, who is white, said he didn't want attention to Aison's death to wane. 

"All too often the police give less priority to justice for a poor child in a black neighborhood," he wrote in an email in June.

He has been posting updates to Facebook, he said, over the last four months. He is "very delighted" about the update to the investigation. He wants to see an arrest, a conviction and know why the murder happened, he said.

In Memphis, and across Tennessee, children die from gunshot wounds at a higher rate than the rest of the country.

Doctors at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital have been producing solutions-oriented research on the issue over the past few years, as they noticed more children coming to the hospital with firearm injuries.

As of July 8, 18 children and teens had been killed in 2020: 14 were slain in intentional shootings, and three were killed in accidental shootings. One death was ruled as a justifiable homicide. Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and MPD Director Michael Rallings shared the statistics in a July 8 news conference begging the public for help. 

► More:The homicides of eight Memphis children remain unsolved. Leaders beg public for help

At the time, there were eight ongoing investigations involving child victims, leaders said. 

After Aison was shot, Brown said something told her to chase his killers, but she didn't. She never saw their faces. She's grateful, she said, for whoever allowed their security footage to be shown to law enforcement. 

There has been a heightened police presence in her Frayser neighborhood since Aison's death, Brown said. The family moved there from Hollywood last fall in hopes of living somewhere safer, she said. 

But she still has some reservations. Elijah Golden, Aison's older brother, celebrated a birthday this summer with a trip to Niagara Falls and a water park. He loves pools, too. 

"I want to get them one, but I'm scared for them to be outside too long, too, too long, by themselves. ... I'm not fearful of being at home, but I watch my back," Brown said.

Brown chose the name Aison because it means "long journey," she said. He arrived a full 39 days after her due date.

"He came out just as small as ever. He was the smallest thing, all the way up until ... ," Brown said.

By Easter weekend, the weekend he was killed, he had just gotten big enough to wear a 4T, she said. 

"The day he got murdered, he was like, 'Can I please just wear my Easter outfit?' I should have let him. Easter was the next day," Brown said.

The speckled black jeans and red shirt are still folded on Brown's dresser.

Laura Testino covers education and children's issues for The Commercial Appeal. Reach her at laura.testino@commercialappeal.com or 901-512-3763. Find her on Twitter: @LDTestino.