Connect with us

Crime & Justice

Vanessa Watson Banks, model, killed in murder-suicide

Vanessa Watson, known professionally as Vanessa Banks, was murdered in what law enforcement officials say was a murder-suicide.

Unheard Voices Magazine logo

Published

on

Philadelphia, PA – Vanessa Watson Banks, known professionally as Vanessa Banks, was murdered in what law enforcement officials say was a murder-suicide.

Watson, 26, was a up and coming model who walked for runaways, posed for magazines, and product promotions around the country.

Before her death, she was living in a house with her three children, her sister, her grandmother, and her 31-year-old boyfriend, Louis McCrae.

On Tuesday morning she drove McCrae to the train station. As they sat in her SUV McCrae shot Watson and then turned the gun on himself.

Relatives say there were no signs of trouble.

“We didn’t expect nothing like that. She took him and embraced [him], like she embraced everybody,” Vanessa’s aunt Sharon Watson said. – ABC Philadelphia

Vanessa Watson Banks had a following on Twitter and Faebook, and adopted the nickname “Ms. Banks DoDat”.

Her family says the “DoDat” name symbolized her go-getter attitude.

“It was horrible. He took my daughter, a mother of three, away from our family, a very tight and secure family and it hurts deeply,” Vanessa’s father Richard Watson said.

“To leave this earth like the way she did, it’s a sad thing. She’s going to be very missed by all of us; she was like the rock of the family,” Jackie Watson, aunt of the victim, said.

Copyright © 2026. All Rights Reserved. Unheard Voices Magazine ®

Real stories. Real impact. Straight to your inbox. Join thousands others. Click here to subscribe to our newsletter today!

Follow us on Facebook, X, TikTok, Instagram, News Break
See also  Chicago mother killed in Bourbon Street crossfire during birthday weekend

Unheard Voices, an award-winning, family owned online news magazine, began in 2004 as a community newsletter serving Neptune, Asbury Park, and Long Branch, N.J. Over time, it grew into a nationally recognized Black-owned media outlet. The publication remains one of the few dedicated to covering social justice issues. Its honors include the NAACP Unsung Hero Award and multiple media innovator awards for excellence in social justice reporting and communications.

Archives

Tags

unheard voices shop
unheard voices on google play unheard voices on itunes

Trending