In a tragic case that has drawn attention to the systemic failures in protecting victims of domestic violence, Shaniqua Kinnard, 30, was found brutally beaten and strangled in her Far South Side apartment last week.
Before her death, Kinnard had made multiple calls to law enforcement regarding Jarve Toms-Dixon, the man now charged with her murder.
She was granted a protective order last year after accusing him of harassment and physical abuse during her pregnancy.
In her petition for protection, Kinnard expressed grave concerns for her safety and the safety of her six children, stating, “I’m afraid [for] my safety and all of my children’s safety.”
This protective order was granted on June 24, 2024, but unfortunately, Toms-Dixon was never served with it, and no charges were filed against him despite Kinnard’s pleas for help.
According to a spokesperson for the Cook County sheriff’s office, efforts to serve Toms-Dixon with the protective order included seven attempts, beginning on the day it was issued.
However, deputies were informed that he did not live at the address provided, and alternative addresses could not be found.
Compounding the tragedy, the protective order was vacated after both Kinnard and Toms-Dixon failed to appear in court on July 31, 2024.
Carrie Boyd, the president and CEO of the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence, emphasized the case as a severe reminder of the dangers faced by victims of intimate partner violence.
“In Shaniqua’s unique situation, there were patterns of abuse that fell through the cracks of our systems,” Boyd stated.
She called for more effective measures to address these patterns so that women like Kinnard do not continue to suffer fatal consequences at the hands of intimate partners.
Kinnard had reported a frightening escalation of abuse leading to her petition for the protective order.
She detailed an incident from June 23, 2024, when Toms-Dixon allegedly kicked in her door and chased her around her apartment while in a drunken rage.
The very next day, she reported further property damage caused by Toms-Dixon, who returned and vandalized several items in her home.
Prosecutors revealed that during the same time, Kinnard was pregnant and documented these incidents in her protective order petition.
When police responded to her home later that day, Toms-Dixon was removed, but his violent behavior persisted.
Scarily, his threats intensified; he allegedly messaged Kinnard after she had turned over a gun he left behind, warning her that, if he didn’t get his gun back, he would “turn the city red.”
At the time of the threats, Toms-Dixon was unlawfully possessing a firearm while on probation for a felony burglary case.
Despite multiple police visits to Kinnard’s home in the months following the protective order, incidents of violence continued to be recorded.
Reports indicated instances of physical abuse, including choking and property damage.
In one case from December, Toms-Dixon allegedly broke into her apartment again and assaulted her, fleeing after discovering that Kinnard’s son had called the police.
In a devastating turn of events, on the morning of July 11, Kinnard’s 7-year-old son discovered her unresponsive and bleeding on the bathroom floor.
An autopsy conducted by the Cook County medical examiner ruled her death a homicide, with evidence of strangulation and blunt force trauma present.
Surveillance footage revealed that Kinnard and Toms-Dixon were seen entering her apartment together around 3:45 a.m. on the night of her death, while Toms-Dixon was seen leaving the premises approximately an hour and a half later.
He turned himself in to police on the following Sunday and is now facing charges of first-degree murder.
Kinnard’s family and friends are mourning the loss of a loving mother, describing her as a free spirit who deserved more from life.
Her sister, Tenecia Kinnard, shared with the Chicago Sun-Times, “She wanted so much more; she never had the opportunity to live a good life.
She never made it out, she never saw better; she never experienced true love and true happiness.”
image source from：chicago
