D.C. police are looking for the killers responsible for the slayings of a mother and son who were fatally shot five years apart, nearly to the day, in the same location.
On Sept. 11, 1990, the body of Sharon Benson, 32, was recovered from a heavily wooded area off the 4600 block of Shepherd Parkway Southwest. A day after the fifth anniversary of Benson’s death, the body of her son, Tyrone Benson, 18, was found shot and dumped in the same bushy area off the entrance ramp to the parkway. Mother and son were both killed by multiple gunshot wounds.
It’s possible that whoever shot Tyrone knew Sharon’s killer, police said. Or it could be a red herring to throw investigators off the trail. Or it could be mere coincidence.
“Is there a connection? I don’t know, but it is interesting,” said Jim Trainum, head of the Violent Crime Case Review Project, the Metropolitan Police Department’s cold-case squad.
In the case of Tyrone, he was last seen around 9 p.m. the day before he was found dead. One possible motive, according to police, was that his death was drug-related. Investigators said Tyrone had been shorted crack cocaine from a drug dealer who witnesses said drove a two-door silver Buick Century with tinted windows and five-star chrome rims.
Sharon Benson was discovered by a cab driver. She was found fully clothed, and medical examiners did not find any evidence of sexual assault.
Anyone with information can contact police through the tip line at 888-919-2776 or by text messaging 50-411. The MPD is offering a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to a conviction.
