According to the family, the city is trying protect itself against a lawsuit.

Police believe Raquel Wilkins murdered her son Denzel, two years old, and committed suicide herself.

"Raquel Wilkins' suicide has been categorized and Denzel Browning Wilkins' death a homicide," San Diego Police homicide Lt. Andra said Wednesday.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, investigators reached this conclusion after conducting a thorough and thorough investigation, which included interviews with dozens of people, reviewing video footage and gathering background information in order to determine the cause of the deaths.

This ruling seems to contradict at least one witness testimony, in which Wilkins was described as "happy -- laughing" while jumping up and down on picnic tables before she "lost balance and fell over the edge".

Family attorney Dan Gilleon said that the ruling was made to protect the city, which holds 70% of the stadium, from legal action.

He stated that the city of San Diego has that ballpark and is legally responsible for her fall. "The city cannot be held responsible if she intends to kill herself or her baby.

Gilleon stated that police refused to give Wilkins' sisters and parents "an ounce" of information about how they came to the conclusion that it was a murder-suicide.

Lt. Andra brown countered by saying that homicide investigators "do (not usually) release information to the suspect’s family."

Gilleon stated that he knew Wilkins would be blamed by the city, and pointed out that Mayor Todd Gloria said to FOX5 San Diego just two days after her death, "There is no need to harm any child, or traumatize other members of our community."

Gloria later apologised to her family for the comment. Gilleon says that four months later, City police went to the media to correct the Mayor's statement.

According to the attorney, the stadium and city are responsible for placing picnic tables next to the railing.

"...As with any property owner, the city was required to keep its property safe." he explained to the Union-Tribune.

Gilleon told AP that the city didn't want to answer why it decided that a young mother would murder her only child in an event where witnesses claimed she was happy. "It seems like the city is acting just like any other defendant in an action: Blame the victim, especially if they cannot defend themselves."

We have identified the mother and child who died at Petco Park.

Raquel Wilkins (40) and Denzel Browning-Wilkins (2-year-old) were both killed in a fall 60 feet from the stadium concourse.

Donald Wilkins, Raquel's father, told CBS8 that his daughter had texted him photos on Saturday showing Raquel happy and smiling before she went to the game.

He stated that he didn't know if the daughter had intended to commit suicide and that he did not have any evidence of this. He said that his daughter would not intentionally hurt her son.

He said, "She was really loving to him." He was her life.

This week, the grandfather who lost his granddaughter and grandson is flying to San Diego to be buried.

Witnesses have described the alleged events that occurred to the mother-son who died at Petco Park on Saturday.

Two-year-old boy and a 40-year old woman died after falling from a third-story upper concourse just before the Padres were scheduled to play. Police described the deaths as suspicious and are now investigating whether they were deliberate.

One witness, however, did not want to identify herself. He said that the mother seemed happy and was laughing just before she fell and that she had been in a close call only seconds earlier.

Witnesses claimed that the mother was seen jumping on picnic tables next to the railings while holding her son. Witness said that she was shocked to witness her again falling off the bench after watching her first fall.

The witness stated that the man with her was standing near the railing while the woman started jumping onto the nearest table, holding the baby in her arms. "She seemed happy -- laughing."

She added, "She lost her balance and fell off of the bench." "I commented to my son, "Oh my god she almost fell."

The witness said that she saw her do it again about 30 seconds to a minute later. She was facing the man and jumped with the baby. "I recall saying, 'I can’t believe she’s doing that again', and then she was gone. From my vantage point, I could see her back almost as if she had rolled over the railing. My son said, "Oh my gods she went over!"

"There were no screams. It was just eerily silent. She added that they could hear the sound of them hitting the ground.

The first responders arrived quickly on the scene but could not do anything for the victims. Both died at the hospital.

Police are still investigating the incident after the witness gave her account. The victims, all San Diego residents, are yet to be identified. It is believed that the woman's partner, the father of the child, was present at the stadium at the time.

According to reports, most people were unaware of the tragic events that just happened and continued as usual on Saturday.

The Padres released a statement that day saying, "We are deeply sorry for the loss of life at Petco Park yesterday evening." "Our thoughts, prayers and condolences go out to the families of all those involved."

"We will refrain from commenting on the nature and circumstances of the incident, as it is an ongoing investigation at the San Diego Police Department."

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Title: Mom and Baby Who Died in Petco Park Fall Ruled Murder-Suicide
Sourced From: toofab.com/2022/01/21/mom-and-baby-who-died-in-petco-park-fall-ruled-murder-suicide/
Published Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2022 16:33:39 +0000

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