How Did Honey Malone Die? New Details About How The Georgia Teen Was Murdered
Six years later, most details surrounding Honey Malone's murder remain a mystery.
Facebook Six years after Honey Malone’s murder, her family continues to plead with the public for any information that might lead to a break in the case.
On the evening of Oct. 23, 2012, 18-year-old Vanessa “Honey” Malone came home from her retail job in Stone Mountain, Georgia. She told her mother, Flora, that she was tired after a long day at work.
According to NBC News, Honey soon told Flora that she was heading out to visit friends. Like most teenagers, this was not out-of-the-ordinary for Honey, but her mother noted her unusual change in tiredness. Honey walked to an apartment complex nearby where two of her friends lived.
Shortly after her daughter left the home, Flora Malone heard what she thought were fireworks going off nearby. She then called Honey to make sure that she was alright, but her daughter did not answer.
She called her other daughter, Honey’s older sister, Cassaundra Kennedy.
“At first, she didn’t think anything of it; this had happened before where Honey’s cell phone was turned off. But when she started to see emergency vehicles, she called again — and Honey didn’t pick up. This time Mom was freaking out,” Cassaundra told Dateline NBC.
Flora Malone’s concerns turned out to be justified. Shortly after calling her daughters, she answered a knock on the door to find Honey’s former boyfriend, DeKevin, and his friend, Chris. They told Flora that something had happened to Honey, and she immediately called Cassaundra again.
When Cassaundra arrived home, the two rushed over to the apartment complex, begging for answers. According to the family, police did not confirm whether or not the victim was, in fact, Honey Malone until after 2:00 a.m.
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After police investigated the apartment and thoroughly interviewed the two residents, they determined that Honey had walked in on an armed robbery.
A group of three to six men dressed in black with guns had entered the apartment shortly before her arrival, tying the residents up at gunpoint and forcing them into the bathroom. When Honey arrived at the apartment, police believe that she turned around to run away and was shot in the back in the process.
The intruders then dragged her into a closet where they shot her a second time.
The two friends, tied up in the bathroom, claimed to have heard a scream followed by a gunshot. After hearing the intruders leave, they struggled to untie themselves.
While the investigation has stopped short of any evidence leading to the identities of the intruders or an arrest, Cassaundra says that the family is skeptical about the armed robbery narrative.
One inconsistency in the story is the lack of stolen items from the house.
“The only thing that was stolen was Honey’s life and her cell phone,” Cassaundra said on Dateline NBC. She added that she and her mother believe that Honey was lured to the apartment for the purpose of her killing.
Some believe that the lack of missing items in the apartment is indicative of a drug-related robbery, but police have not confirmed the theory.
The family also maintains that Honey was extremely sociable and trusting of others, which may have made her vulnerable to be lured into a trap. They told NBC News that she had a smart mouth, and might have responded to someone saying “I’ll shoot you” with “do it then.”
Nearly six years after Honey Malone’s murder, her family remains desperate for answers. WSB-TV 2 Atlanta interviewed Cassaundra regarding her sister’s unsolved murder case.
“I’m the big sister and I was supposed to always be able to protect her,” she said. “We want justice. We want to know who did it and why they did it."
In a recent interview, the family even revealed they believe Honey's friends know what really happened to her. "I get that [law enforcement] is working. And I know that they're understaffed and I know they have things. But my sister is very important and we need answers,” Honey's sister said.
The family is heartbroken but stays hopeful that new DNA testing procedures will lead to the killer’s identity. Phenotype testing, for example, could lead to an accurate description of the killer’s appearance and genetic traits. If Honey Malone knew her killer (which would be likely if she was lured to the scene), a physical description could potentially lead to a quick arrest.
For now, DeKalb County police are encouraging anyone with information about the case and the possible identities of the intruders to call CrimeStoppers at (404) 577-8577.
Emily is a freelance writer based in Colorado. She covers news, true crime, politics, feminism, and psychology.