BREAKING NEWS: No Charges to be Filed Against Chris Henry's Fiancee

by Alicia Cruz
Editor-in-Chief
The Black Urban Times

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has completed their investigation into the death of NFL star, Chris Henry. Detectives announced moments ago that there will be no criminal charges filed against Henry's fiancee, Loleini Tonga.


The criminal probe found no evidence that Tonga was driving recklessly or excessively. Charlotte police say Tonga was driving between 19 and 23 mph when the accident occurred. The speed limit on Oakdale Road, where Henry fell out, is 35 mph.

Cincinnati Bengal, Henry died in December after falling or jumping out of the bed of a pickup truck being driven by his fiancee.

The two reportedly argued in the moments before his accident and although neighbors told police they heard Henry "begging" Tonga to stop the truck, detectives say no witnesses actually saw how Henry came out of the back of the truck.

A medical examiner ruled that Henry's death was accidental and that he died from blunt force trauma to the head.

In a recent ESPN interview, Tonga said that Henry jumped out of the truck, but he didn't do it with the intention of harming himself. Tonga said she thinks Henry thought he would land safely and may have been scared because he saw someone calling the police.

"I wasn't going fast. Maybe he was scared because he saw someone calling police that was behind us. But as far as him wanting to end his life? No. He had too much going for him," Tonga said.

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Chris Henry's Fiancée Speaks

by Jarred Powell
Sports Editor

My heart goes out to Chris Henry's fiancée, Loleini Tonga, but this has to be the worse interview I have ever seen. Not only does she contradict herself, but she speaks as if she had no control over the situation, which she clearly did and did not use. This interview gave me insight into the whole situation.

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Chris Henry Autopsy Results in

By Alicia Cruz
Theblackurbantimes

The Mecklenburg Medical Examiner has released findings of Chris Henry's autopsy. The 26-year-old wide receiver died from blunt-force trauma to the head.

Henry, 26, sustained the fatal head injury Wednesday after an argument with his fiancée, Loleini Tonga. He fell from the bed of a Ford F-150 truck being driven by Tonga. Witness reports say Tonga and Henry were in the midst of a domestic dispute when Henry jumped in the bed of the truck and began banging on the truck begging his fiancee to stop the vehicle.

Apparently she refused and continued to drive. One neighbor, Lee Harvey, claims to have overheard Henry threatening suicide if Tonga did not stop the truck so they could talk.

A short time later, Harvey says he heard screeching tires and later, police sirens.

Funeral arrangements are underway for Henry and have been reported as taking place on Tuesday or Thursday. Although Henry was a native of Louisiana, there has been no word on where his funeral will take place.

Henry’s team mates are set to attend the funeral after their game against the Chargers in San Diego on Sunday. ESPN commentator, Jalen Rose said, "He will be missed and we all send our condolences out to the family. His team mates will be playing with heavy hearts on Sunday."

Homicide detectives are currently investigating the case, but no charges have been filed against Tonga though police have not yet cleared her name either.

Henry had made a shining comeback from a past littered with arrests on everything from drug possession to assault and drunken driving

The Bengals gave Henry a second chance after his cut from the team. He leaves behind two children and his fiancee.

Chris Henry Remembered by Coach,Team Mates as 'Devoted Family Man'

‘Having someone support you no matter what, it’s a beautiful thing.’
CHRIS HENRY

Team mates and Coach Remember Chris Henry as a Gentle, Interesting person who was a devoted and loving father on his way to re-building his life and football career in the video below. Coach says Henry was often "misunderstood."

View Cincinnati.com Articles on Chris Henry


Click here to hear 911 calls

Update: Neighbor says 'Chris Henry Made Threat of Suicide Just Before Accident

photo/CBSNews.com

UPDATE: 4:44 PM EST In an attempt to confirm Internet rumors stating that the fiancee of Chris Henry had a "history of alcohol and domestic violence" related incidents, the Black UrbanTimes contacted the watch commander at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police department and was told by the Captain that at this time he has "not seen or heard any statements in relation to Miss Tonga having any history of domestic violence or alcohol related incidents in her past." The Cincinnati police have not returned calls to confirm or deny their knowledge of any such reports concerning Miss Tonga at this time.
Stay tuned for further developments on this story

See video of neighbor describing argument between Henry & Tonga below

Article & Video Clip: Chris Henry Remembered as 'Devoted Family Man"

By Alicia Cruz
Theblackurbantimes

Reports have begun circulating that a neighbor living near the Tonga family's home in Charlotte, N.C. claims to have overheard a portion of the argument between Chris Henry and his fiancee, Loleini Tonga, just before Henry's fatal accident.

Lee Hardy, the neighbor of Chris Henry's fiancee told USA Today that he was atop of a ladder cutting back some trees on his home when he saw the yellow pickup "zooming" up the Tongas' gravel driveway just a few yards away.

Click here to view accident scene

Hardy went on to say that a shirtless Henry was holding onto the top and side of the truck while standing in the bed of the pickup and was "begging her to stop the vehicle."

"He was banging on the top, on the doors, screaming at Tonga, "We need to talk! If you take off, I'm going to jump off the truck and kill myself."
Hardy says Tonga was driving the vehicle when she stopped, pausing at the end of the driveway, and then suddenly took off. Later Hardy says he later heard "screeching noises and then police sirens."photo/blogs.bet.com

Sometime later Charlotte-Mecklenburg 911 received two calls from citizens concerning Henry. One from a woman driving behind the truck and another from a man who actually saw Henry laying motionless in the road.

The female caller stated, "I'm driving behind a yellow F-150, there's a black man on it with no shirt, he's got his arm in a cast. He's beating on the truck … I don't know if he's trying to break in it or something crazy."

The male caller stated,"I need an ambulance now. There's a man laying in the road … he looks dead, there's no movement."

According to police officer Rosalyn Harrignton, Henry fell off of the truck about a half-mile from the Tonga home and that his Fiancee stopped immediately and rushed to his side. "Even though this is a high-profile case, we are treating it like any other case in Charlotte," Harrington said.

The Tonga's neighbor Lee Hardy said the Tongas have been "great neighbors" and added that he and other neighbors have attended large luaus at the Tonga home.
"They came and got my girls for trick-or-treat and a big Easter egg hunt," said Jamie Dunn, who is friends with Loleini Tonga's sister and lives across the street.

Despite his immediate medical attention and a host of prayers Chris Henry succumbed to his injuries at approximately 6:30 a.m. at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte N.C.

At this time the Tongas have not released statements to the media, but Henry's agent, David Lee, said "they are devastated by his death." Henry left behind two children Chris Jr., 2, and DeMarcus, 1.

The hospital has not released any statements confirming or denying that Henry had been treated there and police have been tight lipped about what their investigation is focusing upon other than to say that homicide detectives were still investigating the incident which they have called a "domestic dispute."

Watch Witness Describe Argument Between Henry & Fiancee

911 Calls of Chris Henry Accident

(AP Photo/The Enquirer, Jeff Swinger)

By Alicia Cruz
Theblackurbantimes

TMZ is reporting the release of two 911 calls made in reference to the Chris Henry incident in Charlotte. One caller apparently witnessed part of the domestic disturbance between Henry and Fiancee and the other caller reported finding Henry "laying in the street." See the quotes from both callers below and listen to the actual calls below.

A female caller said:

"It's got a Black man on it with no shirt on and he's got his arm in a cast, he's got some black pants on, he's beating on the back of the truck window. ...it's turning onto Oakdale Road off of Oak Drive."

Moments later a male caller dials 911 to say,
"He is laying in the road. He looks dead. There's no movement... He's definitely unconscious. He's not awake. He looks like mid-twenties, black male."

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO 911 CALLS
CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS AT HUFFINGTON.COM

The 26-year-old NFL star died at 6:30 a.m. in a Charlotte hospital from injuries he sustained after falling out of the back of a pick-up truck being driven by his fiancée Loleini Tonga.

Police questioned Henry's fiancee at the Charlotte home of Tonga's parents, but there has not been an arrest and the police investigation continues. The home where the dispute began reportedly belongs to Tonga's parents. On her MySpace account she recently blogged about
purchasing her wedding rings. The couple has three children: DeMarcus, 10 months, Seini, 3, and Chris Jr., 2
Sept 15, 2009(AP Photo/The Enquirer, Jeff Swinger)

Homicide detectives in Charlotte have been tight-lipped about releasing any more details about what the couple may have been arguing about. They have not released a cause of death and the coroner's office is set to receive Henry's body any hour now.

CNN has reported that a police report is saying, "The domestic situation continued between the operator and Mr. Henry.' Henry 'came out of the back of the vehicle" about half a mile from the house..."

Bengals Chris Henry Dies of Injuries

By Alicia Cruz
Editor-in-Chief
Theblackurbantimes

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry died from injuries sustained when he fell out of the back of a pickup truck in Charlotte, North Carolina last night.
Charlotte Police are calling the incident a domestic dispute that Henry was having with his fiancée, Loleini Tonga, who lives in Charlotte and was attempting to drive off during an argument with the wide receiver.

Henry jumped into the bed of the pickup and the couple continued arguing as Tonga was driving away, say Charlotte police. At some point Henry fell out of the pickup and landed in the road.
No charges have been filed at this time, but homicide detectives are still investigating.
Last night, officials reported Henry's injuries as "Life-threatening" after he was transported to a local hospital.

A spokesman for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police announced Henry's death at 6:36 a.m. today.

ESPN reported that Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis met with his team after 8:00 this morning to brief them on their teammates condition.

Henry's off-the-field troubles during his five-year pro career garnered him an eight-game suspension in 2007 from the National Football League after being arrested for the fourth time.

He was cut by the Bengals following his fifth arrest, then re-signed before the start of the 2008 season.

Henry,who was boasting 12 catches for 236 yards and two touchdowns during this season, was on injured reserve after dislocating his forearm at the time of his death.

He had not been in any legal trouble since returning to the Bengals.

Henry was 26-years-old.

Video posted by Sports-Editor, Jared Powell

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