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Death of promising Bay Area art student 39 years ago: suicide or homicide?
A 23-year-old art student from Berkeley was found hanging from a tree outside the Concord Bart station on Nov. 2, 1985. Authorities ruled it suicide. Now, 39 years later, his family still has many unanswered questions. They say he was gay, Black, and Native American and that he may be the victim of homicide. Relatives are working to get the case reopened.
CONCORD, Calif. - One East Bay family's search for answers surrounding a young art student's death has lasted almost four decades.
Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, marked 39 years since Timothy Charles Lee of Berkeley was found hanging from a tree near the Concord BART station. His death was ruled a suicide.
Relatives said it was a homicide and wanted the case re-opened.
Frank Sterling Jr, Lee's cousin, said he was only 11 at the time the art student died.
Sterling said he started working on getting the case reopened a few years ago when he learned that there is still community interest in what happened and the family wants answers.
"A friend of mine made this picture of Timmy," said Sterling as he pointed to a drawing that he planned to bring for the memorial walk and vigil he had planned for the anniversary of Lee's death.
"It was very suspicious. They destroyed the evidence within 24 hours. The community rose and got an FBI investigation. But they do just kind of rubber-stamp the investigation," said Sterling.
Family members said there's evidence that points to homicide.
Lee was a gay man who was Black and Native American.
Authorities said they found a suicide note at the scene, but the names of his siblings he addressed were misspelled.
There were questions about whether the handwriting was Lee's.
When KTVU covered this case in 1986, Lee's sister Tammy said her brother had just received a $2000 grant to study fashion design in Milan,
"Very excited. It was like a dream come true. Finally, he got to take this trip he's always wanted to do," said Tammy then.
She has since died but had said that if her brother did write the note, he was forced to.
Two neighbors told KTVU back then that they heard screams coming from the area where Lee was found hanging.
He had taken BART from San Francisco to go home to Berkeley, but fell asleep and ended up at the Concord BART station.
His family said he had called a roommate to get a ride home, but the roommate wasn't able to help.
Lee was found dead hours later.
On that same night in Concord, two men who described themselves as Ku Klux Klan members stabbed two black men.
"I don't think this was suicide. This kid had a future," said his uncle Frank Sterling Sr.
He suspected that his nephew's race and sexual orientation may be motives for someone killing him.
"Racism, homophobia, I think it's a combination of all that. Back then, things were swept under the carpet," said Sterling Sr.
The family wants the case reopened. And if it's homicide, they want justice.
"I feel like there's still time to hold these people accountable and the people who helped cover up this crime," said Sterling Jr.
He hoped to gather 500 signatures for a petition asking the California State Attorney General Rob Bonta to reopen this case.
Sterling Jr. also plans to speak with the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office.
The march and vigil were held on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. at the Rainbow Community Center and ended at the Concord BART station.
Amber Lee is a reporter with KTVU. Email Amber at Amber.Lee@Fox.com or text/leave message at 510-599-3922. Follow her on Facebook @AmberKTVU, Instagram @AmberKTVU or Twitter @AmberKTVU