Gabriel Boykins

Witness Tyquavius ​​Church testified Thursday afternoon that a room in a home where mother/daughter murder victims often stayed was cleaned shortly after Tamara and Aquarious Church disappeared on May 17, 2020.

A second witness, LaGabrious Boykins, said the living room at 1917B Foust St.
“the smell of death”.

Detective Zack Crawford said a large amount of blood was detected by the use of the Bluestar chemical agent in the living room of the home occupied by Gabriel Boykins.

When he inspected the house in July 2020, he said the living room was mostly sparse except for a large old-style TV in one corner.

The state is seeking two first-degree murder convictions against Boykins in Judge Amanda Dunn’s courtroom.

The jury also heard from Glenn Bradley, property manager for Service Electric on 23rd Street near the former Food City site. He said that around the time of the disappearance, on a Monday morning, he found a large pool of blood behind a storage lot.

He said there was more blood spatter around the pool of blood.

Mr Bradley said he checked to make sure all employees were OK. It was not reported to the police.

Prosecutors earlier said the white Honda Odyssey van that Tamara Church had just purchased two days earlier was caught on video driving along 23rd Street the night of the disappearance.

The skulls of the two victims and scattered body parts were found on July 9, 2024, in a wooded area near a church off Greenwood Road. Tamara Church, who was 40, had been strangled and hit on the head with bloody force. The child also had blunt force head injuries.

The van that Tamara Church had just bought was found burnt out near where the bodies were.

Tyquavius ​​Church said he has known Boykins since he was four years old. She said: “He was my favorite person. I spent a lot of time with him.”

Asked why she liked him, she said: “He always said yes.”

She said that at the age of 18 he got her a job at Pilgrim’s Pride, the “chicken factory” where she worked for several years. She said Boykins will receive bonuses on Friday and will give her some of the money.

Asked to describe Aquarious, she said she was “goofy, laughing, giggling, dancing, rapping with our brother and mom.”

Her mother, she said, “was my best friend. She was sweet, always smiling. She was smart. She taught me a lot. She was that person you need in your life every day.”

The witness added: “He loved his children and his grandmother.” She said Tamara Church called each of them every day.

She said Boykins and her mother had separated and were no longer romantically involved, but Tamara Church still often stayed with him, along with her young daughter.

She said when Boykins had to go to the hospital to have a pacemaker implanted in his heart, Tamara Church agreed to come to the hospital and sign for him — making the procedure possible.

A family barbecue was planned for May 17, 2020, at her East Lake Courts apartment, she said. Gabriel Boykins was going to attend and do the barbecue.

That morning, Tamara Church stopped by briefly, driving her new van. She said she left to get supplies for the evening but never returned.

Tyquavius ​​said he saw his mother at 1 or 2 that afternoon, but after that, “I kept calling and calling and got no answer.” She said she hadn’t even heard of Boykins and there was no cooking.

The witness said that when he went to the Boykins residence, he found the living room cleaned out. She said: “It was like they took all their things and left.”

She was at the Boykins home on May 29, 2024, when police officers responded to her missing call. An officer asked if her mother had “p—ed off” with someone or left with a boyfriend. He said she could wait longer or choose the “process” of getting an investigator on the case. Tyquavius ​​said he would wait a few more days to see if anything came up.

Prosecutor Charles Minor told Tyquavius, “I’m going to apologize to the officers. He should have listened to you.”

While the officers were still there, Boykins arrived home. He said he had last seen Tamara and Aquarious two days earlier when they had gone out for sandwiches.

She said she didn’t hear from Boykins until a day or two after the disappearance, and he soon left town. She said she would not take his calls after that. She said: “They disappeared and now he’s gone – like what’s going on?”

Tyquavius ​​said that the next day a lover of Tamara Church, Ulysses Bradley, called her. She said: “He was trying to figure out where she was.” She said he told her he was going to file a missing person report and joined her.

The tearful witness said: “Every day I spent hours trying to call her and driving around looking for her van.” She said the phone was eventually disconnected. She said she put up flyers and posted on Facebook. She said she eventually had to quit her job because of the search. She said Ulysses Bradley gave her gas money for her trips around town.

Earlier Thursday, prosecutors said they had difficulty contacting Tyquavius ​​and a material witness warrant had to be issued for her. She appeared near the end of the state’s evidence.

LaGabrious Boykins, the son of Tamara Church, in an interview with the police was asked who could have harmed his mother. He answered, “Ulysses.” Questioned by a prosecutor, he said he no longer felt that way.

She also told the detective that Bradley would “put his hands on her sometimes” and once told her, “If you ever leave me, I’ll kill you.” That part was not allowed before the jury.