
Kevin Williams was private. His mother, Sonya George, calls him “my mysterious child,” prone to doing things like joining the U.S. Army and announcing the news after he had been sworn in.
Kevin, whose nickname was Snoop, had been living on his own since he was 17, so when he asked Sonya if he could move back home last year, she was taken aback. He didn’t say why, and she never found out what was behind his request.
A few days later, on Sept. 17, 2019, Sonya found Kevin’s lifeless body in his Clifton Heights apartment. He was 24 years old. No arrests have been made in connection with his murder.
“I have to keep his memory alive,” Sonya said.

Kevin was born Aug. 7, 1995 in Philadelphia to Sonya and his father Kevin Williams. He was Sonya’s third and youngest child; his older siblings are Kevena Williams and Shamarr J. Pitts.
Growing up, Kevin was known as “Fat Kev” because he was on the chubby side. From the ages of 8 until he was a teenager, Kevin served as a junior deacon for Christian Union Church at 56th and Woodland in Southwest Philadelphia, even after his family had relocated from South Philly to Delaware County.
After high school, Kevin enrolled at Bucks County Community College to study criminal justice. He enlisted in the Army in June 2017, but came home early. Sonya said he never opened up about his time in the service.
“When he got back from the military, my son was withdrawn,” Sonya said. “He was real different. Real different. And he never talked about it, so I don’t know what happened. I don’t know.”
Kevin remained interested in criminal justice, so he started classes at the Law Enforcement and Security Officers Training Academy, located on North Delaware Avenue in Philadelphia. His stepfather, Ifeanyi Pius George, attended the same school and the pair talked about opening their own security agency one day.

In March 2019, Kevin was sworn in as a certified law enforcement agent with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was hired by Sovereign Security and stationed at Philadelphia Energy Solutions, the refinery in South Philadelphia. According to Sonya, Kevin was there on the night of the June 2019 explosion at the oil refinery and reported the incident to 9-1-1.
Kevin also did gigs on the side, including working security at Illusions Sports Bar in Clifton Heights.
The last time Sonya saw her son was about a week before his death. At that time, he was navigating a “bad relationship,” she said, which is what she believes prompted him to ask if he could move in with her.
He valued hard work, education and family the most, but he also valued a good time, particularly if it involved basketball, Xbox 360 or his cat, Bandit.
To celebrate what would have been Kevin’s 25th birthday in August of this year, Sonya got food from Red Lobster and Melrose Diner, his favorite places.
“All the things he liked to do, that’s what I did that day,” Sonya said.
Kevin loved Yankee candles, and on the one-year anniversary of his death, she kept Yankee candles lit in his memory.
Anyone with information on Kevin’s murder is encouraged to call the Clifton Heights Police Department at 610-623-3242.
