Bakari Henderson, a 22-year-old Austin, Texas native who died on Friday, July 7, was beaten by a group of at least ten people while traveling in Greece. So far, eight people have been arrested, and two of them have been charged with murder.
Henderson, who attended The Eller College of Management at The University of Arizona on a full academic scholarship and graduated in May with a BS in Business Finance and Entrepreneurship, was beaten to death outside a bar on the island of Zakynthos, Greece.
According to reports, Henderson was killed after a fight broke out. According to a friend who was with Henderson at the time, it started after Henderson and another friend set down their drinks at the other end of a table where two men were sitting. He says the two men grabbed the beers, smashed them on the table, and used the shattered bottles as weapons.
That same friend tells CBS that the local media reports that the attack was sparked by an attempt to take a photo with a waitress are untrue.
According to police, at least 10 people followed Henderson out of the bar, including the bouncer and another employee. They are accused of beating Henderson and leaving him unconscious in the street.
via CBS:
Eight people have been arrested and are now facing voluntary manslaughter charges. The suspects, including the bouncer and bar employee, covered their heads as they made their way into court.
One of their attorneys argued there was no intent to kill Henderson, who Greek police say died from severe head injuries after the beating.
The Henderson family says their main focus now is getting Bakari’s body back home. The U.S. State Department says it’s helping the family and is in touch with Greek authorities.
Henderson’s family released a statement on their son’s passing:
The family of Bakari Henderson has released a statement after the young man’s murder in Greece:
“As you can imagine, our family is devastated by the recent loss of our beloved son Bakari Jaward Henderson. He attended Anderson High School through his junior year and graduated from Hyde Park Baptist High School in 2013. Bakari attended The Eller College of Management at The University of Arizona on a full academic scholarship and graduated on May 12, 2017 with a BS in Business Finance and Entrepreneurship. The summer after his freshman year at University of Arizona, he interned with the Texas Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Texas State Senate. Bakari was in Greece working on a photo shoot to launch his new clothing line when the unbelievable tragedy occurred.
Bakari loved spending time with family and friends, traveling, and meeting new people. He was a big thinker and enjoyed coming up with new business ventures. Bakari was an inspiration to all he met. He loved life and lived it to the fullest.
We would like to thank our family, friends and the Austin community for your prayers, love and support.
A GoFundMe page has raised more than $30,000 to cover transportation and funeral costs.
