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‘I won’t forget. I won’t stop’: Widow still seeking justice speaks out 2 years after surviving attack that left husband dead

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two years after three people broke into a Brentwood home, killed a man and injured his son, the murdered man’s widow -- who survived the vicious attack -- spoke to News4JAX about the case, which has unfortunately gone cold for investigators.

Samantha Thompson said she and her husband, Raymond, were married for 36 years -- but that all ended on Aug. 26, 2020, when she was awoken by people kicking in her front door.

“The guy came over to me and grabbed me by my hair, snatched me up, put a gun to the back of my head and asked me where was he,” Thompson recalled. “As to who he was -- really not sure. I called out to my husband.”

But before Raymond left the couple’s room, the attackers shot him, she said.

“That’s all I knew,” Thompson said. “He was my life. He didn’t deserve to die the way that he did it. He was a good person.”

Two years have gone by since a loving husband and grandfather was taken, and Samantha Thompson said her home is no longer filled with good memories.

“I still haven’t processed it,” she said. “I take it day by day. It’s very stressful, me having to be here with him not here. I can’t even describe the pain. It’s unbearable.”

Thompson said her husband was known for having a generous heart.

“When we’d go to the park, he would always not just worry about his grandchildren, but he worried about any of the children if they needed something,” Thompson said.

Raymond Thompson’s case is now considered cold because no new leads are coming in, but Samantha isn’t giving up. She’s been checking in with the detective assigned to Raymond’s case every Monday. During one of those recent calls with the detective, she was told there is a new system available for testing DNA and some of the evidence collected after her husband’s murder will be processed with the new technology.

“Eventually, somebody is going to say something,” Thompson said. “Maybe they told the friend two years ago. Maybe their friend has forgotten now. But I won’t forget. I won’t stop, and I’m going to keep coming.”

If you remember anything in connection to Raymond Thompson’s case, you are asked to call the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at 904-630-0500.


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