SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 Utah) – A mother’s quest for justice just got some help. Nearly three years ago, Brian Housley was murdered in a drive-by shooting in Ogden.
Police said Housley was a victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
To date, no one has been arrested but his mother still hopes for answers.
“It’s constantly on my mind, it’s like it happened yesterday, everyday,” said Darcie Housley.
Her son was fixing a car outside in a driveway when police said another vehicle pulled up and shot him to death.
“You just don’t walk away from something like this,” said the mother. “When somebody tells you “you need to try and find a way to move on,’ how do you walk away from that? You don’t move on.”
There are persons of interest according to search warrants served by police. But no one has been arrested.
Housley’s murder is now on the state’s data base for cold cases. Currently there’s more than 400 unsolved murders statewide. Now that Brian Housley’s case is on the data base other police departments can study his murders and compare it to cases in their area to see if there’s any similarities.
“That’s what I’m hoping for,” said Housley. “I’ve got a chance that somebody else will take a look at it.'”
Housley’s murder now has the attention of the Utah Cold Case Coalition.
“This is a classic example of a case that got our attention because it’s avoidable to become a cold case,” said Jason Jensen with the coalition.
The non-profit group focuses on investigating unsolved murders and they recently opened up the nation’s first not-for profit forensics laboratory.
“One of the things we saw as a problem with the case is relating to DNA and our outreach to them is concerning a re-examination of the evidence to bring closure to the case,” Jensen said.
The coalition’s now offering a $5,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest and or conviction in the Housley murder.
His mother welcomed the offer. For her it’s another effort in her quest for justice.
“He mattered to me,” said Housley. “He might not matter to the next door neighbor but he mattered to me.”
For more information about the $5,000 reward visit the Utah Cold Case Coalition website.
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