18 years-old | July 19, 2005 – May 6, 2023
Abuse lasted: 2-3 years
Love wasn’t enough to stop the abuse…
Meet Genesys Rice, a beautiful 18 year-old from Greenville, S.C. and full of life. She just recently landed a great job with Spectrum and was excited about moving into her new apartment. Her friends and co-workers described her as a light that was dimmed too soon. The loss of yet another young woman to an act of domestic violence is always a heartbreaking tragedy.
“She had this smile that could turn any bad day to a great day,” said one friend. Another of Genesys’s loved ones had this to say. “She was a soft sweet gentle soul. A wonderful mother to her two babies, and my God they’re a true reflection of their mother. What’s more sad, these kids are going to grow up without a mother or father because he’s the one responsible for Genesys’s death.”
There was a pattern of abuse that led up to Genesys death. When Genesys first met Akevius Lindsey, he seemed like the perfect gentleman and she couldn’t wait to introduce him to her Mother Lisandra and step-father Antwone. (Note: Genesys biological father is George Rice. He has been there for Genesys and all of his other children since day one. He seemed to be a lot different from men she dated in the past. When the Mother Lisandra and step-father Antwone met the young man they said they didn’t really care for him, but they said their daughter was happy so they let them be but just told her to be careful.
After a couple of months into the relationship things turned south and he started physically, mentally and emotionally abusing Genesys. No matter what Genesys did he would abuse her. She thought that maybe if she had his child the abuse would stop, but it seemed like the abuse increased and she was just tired of it. In my years of learning how domestic violence starts and ends, I’ve never seen it end in a positive light.
I think Genesys shared what was going on in her relationship with certain people, as her way of calling out for help. However, she remained afraid to tell her parents out of fear what her abuser would do to her and possibly to them. She also didn’t want to taint her parents being happy for her accomplishments.
The abuse got so bad that a friend remember the time when Akevius beat her up on the Highway when she was 6 months pregnant. She had injury to her head and body where he slammed her into the car multiple times. She also recounts her friend spitting up blood due to several punches to the face. Another friend recalls when she had car problems and asked a friend from work who happened to be a male and he beat her several times for that. It appears that this boy suffered from jealousy and insecurity.
On Saturday, May 6, 2023 Genesys called Akevius over to come and get his belongings from her apartment. When he arrived an argument started and Akevius shot Genesys to death in the face and left her body in the bedroom. Short time after Genesys sister was on her way over and she was the one who discovered her unresponsive and called 9-1-1 and then her parents and told them what she just discovered. To my understanding Akevius was on the run for a couple of days before he was apprehended and brought in on murder charges. He is currently awaiting trial. I hope he gets the max punishment for someone committing a crime like this. This is pure evil and senseless. If someone have told you they’re no longer interested, just move on. No need to kill them or yourself just move on.
Since Genesys death, her Mother Lisandra and step-father Antwone along with Genesys father George Rice has stepped up to raise her two children.
So many broken promises men make, the fake I love you’s and it will never happen again speeches get old after a while. The end result is often death and nobody wins in these type of situations. Genesys was so afraid of what her abuser was going to do to her that she was petrified of leaving. And when she did decide enough was enough, it was too late. Her abuser came to a decision of his own, that if he can’t have her then nobody would, not even her own children!
I believe that communities need to invest in more comprehensive measures and resources to empower victims to leave abusive relationships. Also, the governing laws and punishments need to be stricter and more harsh against abusers to deter them from repeating such acts of violence.
In conclusion, as friends and family reflect on this horrible tragedy, some had these words to say…
“Like many victims of domestic violence and abuse, I think that Genesys encountered some barriers along the way to getting the help that she really needed to be able to escape this evil abusive relationship.”
“My prayer is that her death is a reminder or wake up call to other victims who may be going through this and to get out now while they still have a chance. It’s only a matter of time before he tries to kills you.”
I wish I could have met Genesys before it got to this point because I feel like our program, Purple Velvet Rope, could have saved her life. And she may possibly be alive today.
Our goal at Visible Hope is to continue to be her voice and tell her story in hopes to save other women and/or men who are being abused. We promise this will not be the end of Genesys’s story.
If you are the victim of domestic violence, whether you think it’s a one time thing or not, you need to call law enforcement and reach out for help! Get out now before it’s too late!