“They Cut My Finger Off. Please Help Me.” The Heartbreaking Kidnapping And Murder of Donnell Porter

In December 1989, 12-year-old Donnell Porter was abducted while on his way to school. He would tragically become a casualty of greed and envy

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Depiction of Donnell Porter (Image generated via Midjourney)

Background

On Thursday, January 4, 1990, the Porter family received heartbreaking news as NYPD detectives arrived at the family’s home on 132nd Street in Harlem and informed 44-year-old Velma Porter that her son had been found murdered.

As devastating as the news was, it was not entirely unexpected. As much as the family had been praying this day wouldn’t happen, they had been quietly bracing themselves for the worst.

Nearly a month prior, on December 4, 1989, 12-year-old William Porter known by the family as Donnell, had been kidnapped as he walked to his 6th-grade class at PS 92 on W. 134th Street, just blocks from the family’s home.