Mother of double homicide victim honored at annual ceremony

JACKSON, Tenn. — The Tennessee Board of Parole, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Correction and the Tennessee Rehabilitative Initiative in Correction are marking 10 years of ceremonies honoring crime victims statewide.

“Crime victims do have legal rights to be engaged in the process of parole hearings, the criminal proceedings, etc.,” said Tina Fox, state director of victim services at the Tennessee Board of Parole.

Fabre Ford, principal of Southwest Elementary School in Fayette County, received this year’s “Voice for Victims” Award for the Jackson area.

“I made Jo Jo a promise that no one would forget about him, and I am going to do my best to hold up my promise to my son,” Ford said.

Ford is the mother of Javarrie “Jo Jo” Robertson, who was 13 years old when he and his father were killed in a double homicide in Toone in 2016. Six people have been charged in connection with the homicides.

“We often remember the offenders’ names throughout history. We hardly ever remember the innocence of the victims and their names, so this week we will be remembering their names and just honoring them in a very special way,” Fox said.

Ford said it is important to have a support system and that she could not do this alone.

“… and of course God. If it weren’t for my faith, there is no way I would be able to stand here today to do this,” Ford said.

District Attorney General Jody Pickens served as the keynote speaker in Tuesday’s ceremony.

“They are not forgotten,” Pickens said. “Their family member is not just a name in a file. They were a person with hopes and dreams, and many of those hopes and dreams have gone unfulfilled and their lives have been changed forever.”

Family members say Jo Jo Robertson had dreams of becoming an orthopedic surgeon. Ford and her husband had started a memorial scholarship in Jo Jo’s honor.

There will be additional events honoring Crime Victims’ Rights Week in Nashville, Knoxville, Cookeville, Chattanooga, Memphis, Clarksville, Murfreesboro, Johnson City and Columbia.