Akron mother begs for justice one year after son was murdered

AKRON, Ohio - Cynthia Ivery sometimes tries to block out the reality and pretend it never happened, but the pain of losing her son to murder doesn't go away.

Dec. 11 will mark the one-year anniversary since Henry Ivery, 25, was gunned down outside of a West Akron home. The case remains unsolved.

"I couldn't hold him. I never got a chance to say goodbye. I miss my child and it's hard. It's hard," Cynthia said.

Standing in front of her Christmas tree decorated in bright, purple ornaments, Cynthia, 57, sobbed as she begged the public for information that would solve the killing.

"Have mercy and come forward, so we can have some kind of closure. I pray all the time that somebody will come forth," Cynthia said.

On Dec. 11, 2011, Henry left a nightclub with a friend, who had just received a phone call reporting that people were breaking into his home on Storer Avenue, police said.

But when the men exited a SUV, they were immediately ambushed, according to Lt. David Whiddon.

"Three suspects with guns opened fire on them almost as soon as they got out of the car," Whiddon said.

Henry was shot multiple times and died on the sidewalk. The other man was shot in the backside, but he survived.

Henry had two sons with his girlfriend.  A third child, a baby girl, was born seven months after the murder. She was named Henri-Ana after her dad.

Cynthia feels like she's going through the motions, but her heart aches as she prepares to spend a second Christmas without her son.

"It's Christmas time, but it doesn't feel like Christmas time," Cynthia said with tears streaming down her face.

The murder happened during an especially violent time in Akron. Six people were murdered within a week. However, police have not been able to connect Henry's homicide to the other cases.

Whiddon said the department does have some solid leads and possible suspects, but detectives still need help from the public to put the pieces together and make an arrest.

"I'm sure there are a lot of details that we don't know about that are behind this story and also, there's people out there that know exactly what this was about," Whiddon said.

Anyone with information on the murder is urged to call Summit County Crimestoppers at 330-434-COPS.

You can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward up to $2,000.