'He Was A Free Spirit': Mother Of Edmond Homicide Victim Shares Story

For the first time since her 24-year-old son was killed, Raquel Stafford is sharing her son’s story. On June 27, 2019 Andrew Sawyer English was found dead with three gunshot wounds. Investigators said the body was in a “decomposing state&rdquo

Thursday, July 11th 2019, 10:27 pm

By: Bonnie Campo

'He Was A Free Spirit': Mother Of Edmond Homicide Victim Shares Story

For the first time since her 24-year-old son was killed, Raquel Stafford is sharing her son’s story.

On June 27, 2019 Andrew Sawyer English was found dead with three gunshot wounds. Investigators said the body was in a “decomposing state”, and they believe he had been deceased for a few days.

English was shot in the back, according to court documents.

Police said so far, there are no updates, and no suspects at this time.

“He was a free spirit, but he was very much like me,” said Stafford.

Family said they want to keep attention on this case.

Stafford told News 9 she is doing the best she can.

“I guess I have so many questions,” she said. “This morning I received his cremation remains and I lost my mind. It was just utter…it was just very real.”

Sawyer’s mother is confident in the department's investigation.

Police did find a black ski mask outside in the trashcan, and shell casings outside the house. But so far, there are no leads on a suspect.

Family was able to visit the home in the days after the discovery.

Stafford said it helped her find closure.

“I was like, I don't want to leave. I don't want to leave. I don't want to leave. Because it was like a form of saying goodbye,” she said.

Stafford knows her son is still with her and said he wouldn't want to carry a heart full of grief and sorrow. The two shared an unbreakable bond full of memories.

Sawyer’s mother said as she walked through his home, she was reminded of her son’s childhood. She picked up his razor, and remembered how much he loved to cut hair, and pretend to be a young barber.

Stafford also started a blog to write through her emotions and grief. She said Sawyer shared his heart with the world, and would want his loved ones to be able to recover from this tragedy.

“I feel like too often people just shut down. That's not the way I would ever want you to be mama, is just to shut down and stop living,” Stafford said.

She adds that she is recovering in her own way. There are still difficult days, but she is finding strength to move forward. She's confident, eventually her son's killer will be found.

“There will come a time. In my heart I feel like I know, but when there is actually proof,” said Stafford.

The family won't speculate about what happened. They say, they hope the evidence will solve the case.

There are two GoFundMe accounts for the family. Click here for Stafford’s page.

Bonnie Campo

Boomer Sooner! Bonnie Campo is thrilled to be at News 9 as a native Oklahoman. She was born and raised in Norman and has worked all around the country.

","published":"2019-07-12T03:27:45.000Z","updated":"2019-07-12T03:27:42.000Z","summary":"For the first time since her 24-year-old son was killed, Raquel Stafford is sharing her son’s story. On June 27, 2019 Andrew Sawyer English was found dead with three gunshot wounds. Investigators said the body was in a “decomposing state&rdquo","affiliate":{"_id":"5cc353fe1c9d440000d3b70f","callSign":"kwtv","origin":"https://www.news9.com"},"contentClass":"news","createdAt":"2020-01-31T18:42:32.611Z","updatedAt":"2022-03-30T20:35:05.021Z","__v":4,"breakingNews":[],"entities":[{"_id":"6244bed76880e45323a7eee2","text":"Raquel Stafford","type":"PERSON","__v":0}],"hasBeenCheckedForEntities":true,"openInNewWindow":false,"show":true,"link":"/story/5e347518527dcf49dad70fb3/he-was-a-free-spirit:-mother-of-edmond-homicide-victim-shares-story","hasSchedule":false,"id":"5e347518527dcf49dad70fb3"};