Tyler Perry is looking for help in the case of a Black man who was apparently targeted and murdered because he was gay.
On Wednesday (July 26), Perry took to Instagram to offer a $100,000 reward for anyone with information on the suspected targeted murder of Josiah “Jonty” Robinson, a 23-year-old, openly gay singer-songwriter, per People.
The mogul said Robinson was close to his friend Yvette Noel-Schure, who informed him of the tragic news.
“A few days ago I got an extremely heartbreaking phone call from my friend, Yvette Noel-Schure. Through her tears and grief she was telling me that in her home country of Grenada, a young man that was like a son to her was murdered,” Perry wrote on Instagram. “My soul ached as she shared that he was a young, gifted singer who was murdered because he was gay.”
“My mind immediately went to [Matthew] Shepard, and all the other victims of racist, homophobic, antisemitic, xenophobic, senseless violence,” he continued. “This kid was 23, how is this ok?”
According to local reports, Robinson’s body was discovered on Sunday (July 22) at BBC Beach in Morne Rouge.
A Royal Grendana Police Force source said Robinson died from “manual strangulation.” Robinson is believed to have been thrown in the ocean after he was strangled.
“The results said basically manual strangulation with injuries to the cervical spine,” a source said. “When they threw him in the water, water went inside him and rigor mortis took place – that is why all the blood came out. After he was thrown into the water rigor mortis, algor mortis, and the play of the gases during decomposition caused the blood to flow out in the mouth, nose, and ears. There were no injuries to the head.”
Grenada police opened an investigation into Robinson’s death but thus far there have been no “breakthroughs.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Royal Grenada Criminal Investigation Division at +1 (473) 440-3921.
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