Someone knows who killed an Arlington father in 2010. His family needs them to speak up.
Someone knows what happened to George Hawkins, and his family and police are begging them to come forward.
Ten years ago, Hawkins, an Arlington father of three, left his house to walk his wife’s dog at the Sutter Creek Apartments in the 2200 block of Plum Street. At 7:45 a.m., neighbors heard shots from the street and found Hawkins lying on the ground in a breezeway. The 52-year-old died on the ground from his gunshot wounds.
Monday marked the 10-year anniversary of Hawkins’ death — 10 years that his family has spent wondering what happened to the man who took them on camping trips and New York vacations.
“We’re sitting there every day, hoping we find something out,” Hawkins’ son, George Hawkins Jr., told the Star-Telegram. “It’s just hovering over us.”
At a press conference in Arlington on Monday, Hawkins Jr. urged the public to speak up if they know anything about his father’s death. Beside him, Arlington Detective Grant Gildon echoed the plea for information and said the department is “very confident” that if the right person came forward, they would be able to give the Hawkins family answers.
“(Hawkins) was not doing anything wrong, and someone in that area, we believe, has to have seen or heard something and will come forward,” Gildon said at the press conference. “His family deserves to have answers and have the chance to get some closure at least knowing what took place that day 10 years ago.”
Hawkins was killed in a highly populated area in broad daylight, and Gildon said at the press conference it is likely someone saw or heard what happened to him. With 10 years passed, Gildon hopes potential witnesses or informants would feel comfortable sharing what they know.
Police do not believe Hawkins was killed in a robbery because he still had jewelry and other valuables on his person. There is no indication he was involved in criminal conduct or “anything that would lead to this,” Gildon said.
“He was simply walking his dog,” said Gildon, who took over the case one year ago.
The potential leads that Arlington police chased a decade ago proved to be dead ends, and the physical evidence is not enough to identify a suspect.
“Every lead will help us out, and help us get somewhere,” Hawkins Jr. said at the press conference. “Right now, we’re just in the dark.”
On Monday, Hawkins Jr. said he planned to visit his father’s grave and — as he does every Oct. 26 — take a packet of black licorice, his father’s favorite candy, to the cemetery. There, he eats a piece of the licorice and tells his dad about his life.
Hawkins was known for always being well-dressed and his fun-loving attitude. He regularly took the family on trips to a lake house in Tyler, camping trips in Galveston and vacations in New York. He loved fishing and often took his children with him. The weekend before Hawkins died, Hawkins Jr. was supposed to go on a fishing trip with him, but had to cancel for work reasons.
Still, Hawkins Jr. has many bright memories of his father. The one that sticks out is a school night when his father pulled him out of bed and told him to get dressed. He would only say they were going somewhere and it was a surprise. One nighttime drive to Grand Prairie later, 12-year-old Hawkins Jr. was at his first concert to see B.B. King.
Hawkins Jr. and his two siblings, a sister and brother who also live in North Texas, have crossed many important milestones in their lives over the past decade — and Hawkins Jr. said it’s still difficult that he cannot call “one of our biggest cheerleaders” to tell him when something good happens.
If someone gave them answers about their father’s death, he and his family might finally have some closure, he said.
“He would be able to rest in peace,” Hawkins Jr. said. “And we would be able to rest in peace.”
If anyone has information about Hawkins’ death, they can contact Homicide Detective Grant Gildon at 817-459-5691. Tipsters can also remain anonymous and contact Tarrant County Crime Stoppers at 817-469-TIPS.
This story was originally published October 26, 2020 at 5:51 PM.
