Groom speaks out about chef killed at Va. park
http://www.wusa9.com/news/local/groom-speaks-out-about-chef-killed-at-va-park/291408124
CHANTILLY, VA (WUSA9) - It was supposed be a day of celebration. A groom married the day his friend and wedding chef was killed spoke to WUSA9 on Monday.
"Very supportive. Nice person, sweet person, she loved my kids,” was followed by, “we need justice for Tyonne. This is sad, like. This is ridiculous.”
Tyonne Johns, 35, was his wife's best friend, said Clinton Sutherland who tells WUSA9 at one point, Johns even lived with them as she pursed her catering business.
Sutherland and his wife Camillia got married in Chantilly, Va. on Saturday. Johns, a family friend, was their chef. Fairfax County Police originally described an ongoing dispute and that the stabbing appeared to have been the result of an escalated argument over chairs.
"When I watched the news for the first time, I'm like. This is not what happened. It wasn't about them two having an argument. It wasn't about that at all,” he said.
Monday Sutherland told WUSA9, they had trouble with the suspect, 19-year-old Kempton Bonds, all night long.
Guests described intimidating remarks, Sutherland says Bonds was present on the floor during their Chantilly wedding and about an hour before they were supposed to finish, Bonds even tried cut off the music according to both guests and police.
Officers were at the Saturday wedding. A Fairfax County Police Spokesperson said at a Sunday news conference, the suspect had called 9-1-1 to make a noise complaint at around 9:24 p.m. The call was noted as a ‘disorderly conduct’ call. Police responded and left the area at around 10:28 p.m., said the Police Spokesperson.
At around 10:50 p.m., officers tell WUSA 9 police responded to a call for a stabbing.
When Sutherland first arrived dressed for his big day, he said, “I had to meet the decorator lady and she told me herself, this guy right there ... I'm sorry, he wouldn't let me start this. He wouldn't let me do this. He went behind me, taking my stuff down. So this went on from 5 until it ended.”
The groom’s Step-mother, Laverne Smith, hadn’t met Johns before the Saturday wedding at Ellanor C. Lawrence Park, but also described a negative interaction with Bonds.
"All she was doing was her job. She did nothing to this young man, absolutely nothing and like I said, don't know, I told him you have no people skills,” said Smith.
It was after the wedding as Johns cleaned-up, police said the suspect thought Johns was stealing chairs, words were exchanged. The 19-year-old part-time Park Authority employee then stabbed the wedding chef, who died from her injuries at a hospital, said police.
Over the weekend friends said this is was ‘out of character’ for the 19-year-old.
WUSA9 has not been able to get in touch with his family for comment but we do know Bonds is due back in court on October 31st.
The victim was openly gay but some at the wedding believe something else was going on that night.
"My wife is Caucasian,” said Sutherland, “Our kids are mixed. I'm not racist at all, this was a racist hate crime. I know for sure. I feel it in my blood, my heart, I know it was.”
The groom voiced other concerns in his comments WUSA9 is working to confirm with police. A police spokesperson said on the matter of a Hate Crime, they have not found any evidence of this in their preliminary investigation.
The investigation is ongoing.
Video in link with interviews.