No charges in the 2008 murder of Nick Emory — despite a mother’s prayers

Every homicide victim has a mother.

Brenda Willingham sits at her dining room table before a spread of photos of her son, Nick Emory. Emory was 23 when he was gunned down a year ago, April 25, 2008, in the Chili’s parking lot in Westport — the same spot where shots rang out earlier this month.

As soon as Emory was buried, Willingham says, “the streets started talking,” and a story emerged about the night he was killed.

Willingham says Emory was in the Westport parking lot, rooting

around in the trunk of his car for a collared shirt to change into

because he and a friend were headed to a club with a

dress code. According to the statement a witness gave

detectives, a man everyone knew as “Bird” walked up on Emory, and both

men drew weapons. Emory put his gun away and lifted his arms to show

that he meant peace. Bird opened fire. Emory clutched his chest and

dropped to the ground. Bird shot Emory four more times in the lower

body, then jumped into the back of a blue SUV driven by a friend and

sped away.