The family of a man killed in what authorities described as a quadruple murder-suicide in La Plata, Maryland, said he was excited to be going on a first date with a young woman he liked on what turned out to be the last night of his life.
Loved ones said family was everything to 23-year-old Jovon Watson, one of the people found dead in a scene of unspeakable horror on Friday. Now, they want the world to know that he meant everything to them.
“That’s just the kind of family we were. He couldn’t go a day without someone checking in on him. No one in this family could go a day without someone worrying about them, making sure that they’re OK,” his cousin, Jolana Watson, said.
According to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office, an initial investigation revealed the suspect Andre Sales, 28, who does not live at the house, killed himself and his ex-girlfriend, Sara Mann, 21; her brother Kai Mann, 18; their mother, Sommaly Mann, 48; and Watson, a resident of White Plains.
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Watson’s mother said he had a date Thursday night with a young woman he liked, and when family members could not reach him the next day, they grew concerned, because he always stayed in touch.
Worry turned to panic, then to horror.
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By nightfall, with that sixth sense families have, Watson’s relatives were at the crime scene on the 3000 block of Wildflower Drive knowing, they said, that he was among the dead.
“When we heard about the five people found dead in La Plata, I just knew something was wrong,” Jolana Watson said.
Watson’s family is raising money through a GoFundMe page to pay for a funeral and memorial service. He was a graduate of Maurice McDonough High School in Charles County, and loved ones said he had so many plans for his future.
“Knowing how much he loved us is what keeps us strong,” Jolana Watson said. “He was the first one to volunteer for anything. If granny needed to go to the doctor’s, if my dad needed a ride to the store.”
