Murder?
Witnesses Ties
The second theory, the one her family and the public believe, is that foul play was involved. On top of the fact that the investigation was lackluster and most officers and investigators had ties to witnesses involved. Jose Barrera, former boyfriend of the homeowner, worked as a pre-trial officer for Forsyth County (Cappello, The Unanswered Questions of Tamla Horsford’s Death). When witnesses found Tamla unconscious, a deputy that arrived at the scene stated, “We’ve got some mutual friends together. I’ve known Jose for a while, we’re friends” (Lindstrom et al). Can an officer work a case and be unbiased when his friend is a suspect? Another party attendee named Stacy Smith, along with her husband, had ties to the DeBloises family (Cappello, The Unanswered Questions of Tamla Horsford’s Death). Brian DeBloises also worked in law enforcement and formerly served in the military (1). In fact, social media photos were found of the Smiths and the DeBloises on a boat, going out to dinner, and even celebrating birthdays (1). Could these ties lead to justice not being served?
Autopsy Report
Another factor alluding to foul play is Tamla’s autopsy. From her autopsy report to the position she was found in, her family doubted she just fell (Cappello, The Unanswered Questions of Tamla Horsford’s Death). Her autopsy report stated, “Horsford showed blunt force trauma to her head, neck, torso, and extremities, including abrasions of the face, four types of hemorrhages in the skull and brain, dislocation of the right wrist, and cuts on her arms and legs” (1). Investigators also noted she had a broken neck and a laceration to the right ventricle to her heart (1). While these injuries do correlate with falling from elevated levels, the positioning of her body was odd to say the least. Michael Christian, the lead detective, told the medical examiner, “The position of the body does not appear that she had fallen directly from the balcony, rather…ground level” (Lindstrom et al). Tamla was found by witnesses laying face first, with her arms to her side and palms facing up, according to the homeowner and her boyfriend (1). These findings left officers confused, one stated, “If you go to brace yourself with your left hand you’d spin--it doesn’t make sense, its like a nosedive” (1). How is it possible she fell face front, and her palms were facing upwards? Could it be she was positioned a certain way on purpose?
Toxicology Report
Another red flag for her family was the contents found in her stomach. The night of the party, all the women had been drinking—it was a celebration! Tamla’s toxicology report showed her blood-alcohol level was .238, which is three times the legal limit, along with marijuana in her system (Cappello, New Docs Detail Cops' Bungling Response in Tamla Horsford Death). However, something strange was also found, alprazolam or better known as Xanax (1). Tamla was not prescribed Xanax. So how did it get there? Every party attendee stated they had no idea when she took it or if anyone gave it to her (1). Despite their words, one of the party goers was found to have a Xanax prescription, but she denied sharing any (1). The GBI, however, would find that to be false. In fact, the morning after Tamla died another party goer messaged her stating, “I hate to ask but can I please get more meds? It really helped me,” to which she agreed and would later meet up with the woman (1). When officers confronted her with their findings, she confessed to giving the other woman Xanax, but not Tamla (1). So how did Xanax end up in Tamla’s system?
Evidence Photos
