His Name was Marvin Engelbrecht w/ Semon Engelbrecht

Marvin Engelbrecht was walking his dog near his home in Toronto when he was shot and killed on October 29, 2012. But it was nearly a year before then crime reporter Tamara Cherry first heard his name, delivered during at a news conference where police announced Marvin had been killed in a “random act of violence.” The murder of Marvin Engelbrecht — a young Black man killed in a neighbourhood that had experienced a disproportionate amount of gun violence — would stick with Tamara for all the years that followed. It bugged her that, even though he had been publicly identified in the immediate aftermath of his homicide, she didn’t know his name until police revealed he had been killed at random.

In this episode, Marvin’s mother, Semon Engelbrecht, tells Tamara about Marvin and the impact his death, and lack of media attention it garnered, had on her family. She also speaks about the problematic way in which the media gives more attention to some homicides over others. Semon and Tamara also discuss grief, healing from traumatic loss, and what she’s learned since Marvin died, including the fact that “things that happen to you aren’t losses. They’re lessons.”

As per trauma-informed practice, each guest in The Trauma Beat podcast is afforded the opportunity to review and veto a list of anticipated questions before the recorded conversation. Ongoing, informed consent is sought throughout the production process.

This conversation was recorded in May 2024.

For more trauma-informed storytelling resources, visit pickupcommunications.com.