Gabriel Boykins

Witness Tyquavius ​​Church testified Thursday afternoon that a room in a house where murder victim mothers and daughters often stayed was cleaned out shortly after Tamara and Aquarious Church disappeared on May 17, 2020.

A second witness, LaGabrious Boykins, said the living room at 1917B Foust Street
“it smelled like death.”

Detective Zack Crawford said a large amount of blood was detected through the use of the chemical agent Bluestar in the living room of the home occupied by Gabriel Boykins.

When he examined the house in July 2020, he said the living room was mostly sparse, except for a large, old-style TV in the corner.

The state is seeking two first-degree murder convictions against Boykins in Judge Amanda Dunn’s courtroom.

The jury also heard from Glenn Bradley, property manager for Service Electric on 23rd Street, near the former Food City site. He said that around the time of the disappearance, on a Monday morning, he found a large pool of blood at the back of a warehouse.

He said there were multiple blood splatters around the pool of blood.

Mr. Bradley said he checked to make sure all employees were okay. The police were not informed.

Prosecutors previously said that the white Honda Odyssey pickup that Tamara Church had just purchased two days earlier was caught on video traveling on 23rd Street the night of the disappearance.

The two victims’ skulls and scattered body parts were found on July 9, 2024 in a wooded area next to a church on Greenwood Road. Tamara Church, 40, had been strangled and hit on the head with blood force. The boy also suffered blunt force injuries to the head.

The truck that Tamara Church had just purchased was found burned near where the bodies were found.

Tyquavius ​​Church said he has known Boykins since he was four years old. She said: “He was my favorite person. I spent a lot of time with him.”

When asked why he liked it, he said, “He always said yes.”

She said that when she was 18 he got her a job at Pilgrim’s Pride, the “poultry plant” where she worked for several years. He said Boykins would receive bonuses on Fridays and give him some of the money.

When asked to describe Aquarius, he said she was “silly, laughing, giggling, dancing, rapping with our brother and our mother.”

Her mother, she said, “was my best friend. She was sweet, always smiling. She was smart. She taught me a lot. She was that person you need in your life every day.”

The witness added: “She loved her children and her grandmother.” He said Tamara Church called each of them every day.

He said Boykins and his mother had broken up and were no longer romantically linked, but Tamara Church still often stayed with him, along with their young daughter.

She said that when Boykins had to go to the hospital to have a pacemaker installed in his heart, Tamara Church agreed to go to the hospital and sign for him, making the procedure possible.

On May 17, 2020, a family barbecue was planned at their apartment in East Lake Courts, he said. Gabriel Boykins was to attend and do the interrogation.

That morning, Tamara Church briefly drove by her house in her new pickup truck. He said he went out to pick up supplies for the night, but never returned.

Tyquavius ​​said he saw his mother at 1 or 2 p.m., but after that, “I kept calling and calling and got no answer.” He said he also didn’t hear from Boykins and there was no cookout.

The witness said that when she went to the Boykins residence, she found the room clean. She said: “It was like they took all their stuff and left.”

He was at the Boykins home on May 29, 2024, when police officers arrived and responded to their call about the disappearance. An officer asked if her mother was “mad” at anyone or if she had left with a boyfriend. He said she could wait a little longer, or she could choose the “test” of hiring an investigator for the case. Tyquavius ​​said he would wait a couple more days to see if anything turned up.

Prosecutor Charles Minor told Tyquavius: “I’m going to apologize to the officers. They should have listened to him.”

While officers were still there, Boykins arrived home. He said he had last seen Tamara and Aquarius two days earlier, when they were out for sandwiches.

She said she didn’t hear from Boykins until a day or two after the disappearance, and he soon left town. She said that afterwards he would not take her calls. She said: “They’re missing and now he’s missing, what’s going on?”

Tyquavius ​​said that the next day a boyfriend of Tamara Church, Ulysses Bradley, called her. She said: “He was trying to find out where she was.” She said he told her he was going to file a missing person report and she joined him.

The witness, through tears, said: “Every day I tried for hours to call her and I was looking for her truck.” He said the phone eventually disconnected. He said he took out flyers and posted on Facebook. He said he eventually had to quit his job because of the search. He said Ulysses Bradley gave him gas money for his trips around town.

Prosecutors said Thursday that they had had trouble contacting Tyquavius ​​and that a material witness order should be issued for her. She appeared near the end of the state test.

LaGabrious Boykins, son of Tamara Church, was asked in a police interview who could have hurt his mother. He replied: “Ulysses.” Questioned by a prosecutor, he said he no longer feels that way.

She had also told the detective that Bradley sometimes “put his hands on her” and had once told her, “If you ever leave me, I’ll kill you.” That part was not allowed before the jury.