A Tennessee resident, Gabriel Fitzgerald Boykins, 50, has been sentenced to 45 years in prison for the brutal murder of a mother and her young daughter. In June, a Hamilton County jury found Boykins guilty on two counts of second-degree murder. The court issued a 20-year sentence for the murder of Tamara Church, 40, and a 25-year sentence for the murder of her 8-year-old daughter, Aquarious Church. The sentences were ordered to be served consecutively.
The sentencing hearing was emotionally charged, as reported by the Chattanooga Times Free Press. Hamilton County Criminal Court Division III Judge Amanda Dunn questioned the severity of the crime during the proceedings, highlighting the unimaginable cruelty of a child witnessing her mother’s death or a mother witnessing her child’s death.
Despite maintaining his innocence, Boykins reportedly showed no emotion upon hearing his sentence. The state’s narrative during the trial painted a different picture. The victims’ family reported them missing on May 19, 2020, a day after Tamara Church’s 2004 Honda Odyssey was found burned on Lynnbrook Avenue in Chattanooga’s Ferger Place neighborhood.
The subsequent investigation was lengthy and challenging, with the discovery of the victims’ remains causing significant distress for their family and the community. After a 51-day search, their bodies were found in a forested area near a major cemetery on Greenwood Road. Cellular location data was used to track Tamara Church’s last-known location. The passage of time and the state of the bodies significantly hindered the collection of evidence.
However, authorities were able to determine that Tamara Church had a broken neck bone, likely from strangulation, and had suffered blunt force trauma to the face. The daughter’s death was described as an afterthought, with her skull appearing to have been stomped or crushed.
While no motive was provided, prosecutors suggested that Boykins and Tamara Church had a previous relationship, marked by arguments and alleged abuse. In July 2020, police discovered evidence of a large pool of blood that had been cleaned up in Boykins’ duplex. Earlier that month, Boykins was found with another of Tamara Church’s daughters, who was still alive. Surveillance footage later showed a man matching Boykins’ build walking away from the burning Honda and heading towards his duplex.
Boykins’ first trial ended in a hung jury in November 2024, with the jury only agreeing on a charge of tampering with evidence. During the sentencing hearing, the court acknowledged the limits of justice, stating that no sentence could bring back the victims. Court records show Boykins has a history of 44 cases dating back to 1995.