Dateline: Against All Odds— Who was Earon Harper, and what happened to her? Harrowing details of the 2006 murder, revealed

Dateline: Against All Odds shared the harrowing story from Louisville about the murder of Earon Harper and the shooting of her 2-year-old daughter Erica Hughes, who was left seriously injured. The mother and daughter were shot at their house on Wilson Avenue, Louisville, by Kenneth Williams and James Quisenberry in 2006.

Earon was a hostess at Churchill Downs. However, she had to go on disability due to fibromyalgia, according to NBC News. She was primarily raising her four children, who ranged in age from 16 to 2, alone.

In the special episode that aired on Dateline in 2010, NBC’s Hoda Kotb interviews Earon’s family and the investigators on the case, as she uncovers what happened on the dreaded day.

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Who was Earon Harper and Erica Hughes?

Earon Harper, a Louisville resident, was a mother of four with an outgoing personality. On May 18, 2006, the Louisville Metro Police found 42-year-old Earon Harper dead in her house along with her 2-year-old daughter Erica Hughes, who was shot five times. Erica was immediately rushed to Kosair Children's Hospital.

Detective Rick Arnold, who was investigating the case, admitted to having promised Erica's grandmother, Judith Harper, that he would find the killer. When Kotb asked why he made the promise, he said,

"That was probably a little emotion spilling over. There was a baby that had been shot as well as an adult that was killed. And we were expecting at that point the baby to die."

Erica started responding after four days in the hospital following a long surgery to remove the bullets and bone fragments.

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The investigation unfolds

Detective Arnold uncovered that one James Quisenberry had known Earon for a long time and even referred to her as ‘Auntie A.’ Police called him in for questioning as he was one of the last people she spoke with on the phone.

As the investigations moved forward, the police received a call about Earon’s belongings in a ditch three miles from her house. It had empty prescription pill bottles, credit cards, personal IDs, and a Cadillac owner’s manual.

The detective found the owner of the Cadillac owner’s manual, a pharmacist, who shared that he had a break-in around the time of the murder. The store camera confirmed two suspicious men in the premises hours before Earon was killed. Detective Arnold recognized James Quisenberry as one of the men. After a long wait, they finally got the second name, Kenneth Williams, when a witness came forward with information.

Detective Arnold kept his promise as he found the people responsible for the murder. He said,

"...I’d promised Judy Harper, you know, on May 18 of 2006 that I would get those answers. And now we had them."

As per Wave 3 News, Lt. Barry Wilkerson, commander of the LMPD homicide unit, said,

"This highlights how our investigators will relentlessly pursue a case to it's closure and it's also an example of how an investigation can take many months to come to a successful conclusion. Our goal is to not just make a quick arrest but to have a successful prosecution and conviction."

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The murderers are charged

Kenneth Williams, 22, and James Quisenberry, 26, both convicted felons, were charged with the murder of Earon and attempted murder on Erica.

During the emotional trial, the prosecutors said that according to the key witness Rashon Turner, a convict himself, the defendants were at Earon’s house to steal her pills and money, but Williams changed the plan. Williams had shared the details with Turner, which he also revealed in the court.

Earon was unable to go to work as she was unwell, and in order to make money, she was selling her prescription medicine. Quisenberry had also previously bought pills from her. While this was never a problem before, this time around it led to her murder as Williams turned up with a gun. He shot her after an argument.

In 2009, Kenneth Williams was convicted of murder and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. James Quisenberry received a sentence of 45 years in prison for manslaughter.

Erica is now referred to as a miracle baby for having survived such a gruesome event. She is a well-known face in her community and part of a Louisville campaign to keep children safe.

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