LENAWEE COUNTY, Mich. — Tracena Dickerson has been fighting to keep her son Chris' name relevant for the past four years.
She last saw her son on Jan. 20, 2019. He was found dead about a month later in a wooded area of Medina Township.
"Anybody who knew Chris knew what a happy soul Chris was. He was the singer. He was the dancer, always cracking jokes," Tracena said.
Chris was set to testify in late January 2019 that Andrew Cecil stabbed him in May of 2018, causing him to be airlifted to the hospital.
The day before he disappeared, Chris sent a picture of his bloody face to Tracena.
She said her son was jumped by a man who told him not to testify at the trial. She believes the man was an accomplice of Cecil, who was out on bond at the time of Dickerson's disappearance. He's currently serving a four-year sentence for the stabbing. Now, he's also facing murder and gang-related charges in Chris' death, alongside co-defendant Count Tereso the Almighty Trevino, previously known as Terry Trevino.
Chris' murder trial is set to begin on April 4 after years of delays in the case. Tracena just hopes the trial actually happens.
"It's just been so stressful," Tracena said. "I just don't know how I'm going to keep it together. I just can't have another letdown.
Two other men have been charged in the case. Austin Richardson, who pleaded down to lesser second-degree murder charges, and David Taylor, who was charged with being an accessory to murder. Detectives believe Richardson fatally shot Dickerson. They further believe Taylor assisted Richardson by disposing of the weapon. Both are expected to testify against Cecil and Trevino in the trial, that they are gang members who ordered a hit on Chris and ultimately behind his death.
Tracena believes more people are involved in her son's death, but she said if a jury finds Cecil and Trevino guilty, she will be one step closer to closure.
"I don't know what that feels like yet. I hope it closes that door to where I can move on because I've just been stuck," Tracena said. "I haven't been able to grieve and I want them to know, you didn't just hurt Chris. You took everything away from me."
WTOL 11 reached out to the attorneys for Cecil and Trevino. Trevino's attorney, Jim Daly, said his team is prepared for trial in April. While Trevino was previously part of a gang, he wasn't at the time of Dickerson's death and had nothing to do with his murder, Daly said.
WTOL 11 did not immediately hear back from Cecil's defense.