Kevin Roman was a beloved coach, mentor, and friend who dedicated his life to helping children. Described by a close friend as a "superhero," the 39-year-old African-American man had been a Bible instructor and coach at Clear Lake Christian School for over a decade before recently starting a new job as a flag football coach at KIPP Academy Middle School in Houston. His friend and fraternity brother, Ledretic Davis, remembered him as a godfather to his child and the person he bounced ideas off of. "The kids would call him Coach Roman, but he was more than a coach," Davis said. "He took care of the kids. That was during his job and after."
Concerns for Roman grew when he failed to show up for a football game. Sometime around September 10, 2016, his friend Ledretic Davis went to Roman's home on Sparrow Street in the Sunnyside neighborhood to check on him. There, Davis made a devastating discovery, finding Roman deceased inside.
An autopsy would later determine that Roman had been shot multiple times, with wounds to his head, neck, chest, back, and upper left arm. His gray Jeep Grand Cherokee was also missing from the residence.
For three years, the case remained without an arrest, a period Davis described as carrying a heavy weight. Houston police detectives continued to work the case, and a crucial piece of evidence had surfaced just two days after Roman's body was found. The murder weapon was recovered when the brother of a woman Roman had been dating was arrested in possession of it. Still, it would take years for investigators to formally connect the weapon to a suspect in Roman's death.
In September 2019, the case broke open with the arrest of 32-year-old Laquinta Renee Johnson. Prosecutors stated that Johnson, who had been in a brief dating relationship with Roman, confessed to the killing. She told detectives that she shot him out of jealousy because she believed he was seeing other women. Records showed that Johnson had a criminal history dating back to 2005.
Following her confession, Laquinta Johnson was charged with murder and ordered held without bond. The arrest brought a measure of closure to Roman's loved ones, who had waited three years for answers. While the legal process had finally begun, his friend emphasized the deep personal void his death left behind, saying, "not having that everyday presence is probably the thing I miss the most." As of September 2019, Johnson was awaiting trial.
