RobertSandifer (March 12, 1983 – September 1, 1994) (also known as Yummy) was an 11-year-old boy from Chicago, Illinois. His murder by fellow gang members in Chicago garnered national attention because of his age,[1][2][3][4] resulting in his appearance on the cover of Time magazine in September 1994.[5] His nickname originates from his love for cookies.[6] Standing 137 cm (4 ft 6 in), Sandifer was a young member of the Chicago street gang the Black Disciples (BD).
After committing murder, arson and armed robbery, he was murdered by his own fellow gang members who feared he could become an informant, and that he was attracting too much attention towards their activities. Coverage of Sandifer's death and retrospectives on his short, violent life were widely published in the American media. Sandifer became a symbol of the gang problem in American inner cities, the failure of social safety nets, and the shortcomings of the juvenile justice system.
Robert Sandifer was born in Chicago, Illinois, on March 12, 1983. Sandifer's mother, Lorina Sandifer, had over 30 arrests while prostituting,[7] many of which were drug-related. Sandifer's father, Robert Akins, was absent throughout Sandifer's life due to incarceration for a felony gun charge. Sandifer was physically abused from the time he was an infant.[6]
Before he was three years old, Sandifer was already known to the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). Physical examinations showed that Sandifer was alleged to have had cigarette burns on his arms and neck as well as linear bruising consistent with physical beatings. Lorina initially blamed the abuse on Sandifer's father, although she later recanted.[8]
In 1987, Sandifer and his siblings were removed from his mother's home by DCFS and were sent to live with their grandmother in the Roseland neighborhood of Chicago. His grandmother's residence contained as many as 19 children on some occasions. By most accounts, his grandmother's home was not much better than Sandifer's previous home.[8]
Sandifer, by the age of eight, quit attending school and began to roam the streets stealing cars and breaking into houses. At the age of ten, Sandifer was arrested on charges of armed robbery. A psychological examiner at the time reported that "Robert is a child growing up without any encouragement and support," and that he "has a sense of failure that has infiltrated almost every aspect of his inner self."[8]
In 1993, Sandifer and his siblings were removed from his grandmother's home and were sent to the Lawrence Hall DCFS shelter on Chicago's North Side, from which Sandifer ran away and never returned. From 1993 until his death, Sandifer's whereabouts and living arrangements remain unclear, although he continued to be arrested by the authorities.[2]
Murder of Shavon Dean
On August 28, 1994, Sandifer was ordered to do a favor for his gang. He opened fire several times with a 9-millimeter semiautomatic pistol, striking several youths. Sandifer quickly fled the scene. Among his victims was a 14-year-old girl, Shavon Dean, who was fatally hit by a stray bullet.[9]
Death
After the shooting, the police were looking for Sandifer who was hiding with gang members in the neighborhood.[10] On August 31, while standing on a neighbor's porch after asking to call his grandmother,[11] Sandifer was met by brothers Cragg and Derrick Hardaway, ages 16 and 14, who were both members of the Black Disciples street gang. Sandifer was told he was being taken to a safe location out of town and ordered into a waiting car.[9]
Instead, he was taken to a railroad underpass at East 108th Street and South Dauphin Avenue and told to get on his knees. While kneeling, Sandifer was shot twice in the back of the head by the Hardaway brothers.[9] Sandifer's body was discovered by the Chicago Police Department in the early morning of September 1.[12][13]
Around 400 people attended Sandifer's funeral, which was held at the Youth Center Church of God in Christ on Chicago's Northwest Side.[14]
The Hardaway brothers were later convicted of Sandifer's murder.[12][13] Derrick received a 45-year sentence and Cragg received a 60-year sentence. Derrick was released from prison in December 2016. Cragg was released from prison in December 2020.[15]
^Buckley, William Lee, Madeline. "11-year-old 'Yummy' Sandifer was on the run for killing a teenage girl. Then he was killed by his own gang in a Chicago story that shocked the nation 25 years ago". chicagotribune.com.
^ abSharon Cohen (December 18, 2007). "Locked up at 14 for an infamous murder, living with regrets and dreaming of a future". Star-News. from the original on December 14, 2013. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
^ abLee, William; Buckley, Madeline (August 30, 2019). "11-year-old 'Yummy' Sandifer was on the run for killing a teenage girl. Then he was killed by his own gang in a Chicago story that shocked the nation 25 years ago". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 31, 2019.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
^Terry, Don (September 8, 1994). "In an 11-Year-Old's Funeral, a Grim Lesson". The New York Times. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
^Bogert, Carroll (November 20, 2020). "I Wasn't a Superpredator. I Was a Kid Who Made a Terrible Decision". The Marshall Project. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
January 20, 2023
robert, sandifer, march, 1983, september, 1994, also, known, yummy, year, from, chicago, illinois, murder, fellow, gang, members, chicago, garnered, national, attention, because, resulting, appearance, cover, time, magazine, september, 1994, nickname, originat. Robert Sandifer March 12 1983 September 1 1994 also known as Yummy was an 11 year old boy from Chicago Illinois His murder by fellow gang members in Chicago garnered national attention because of his age 1 2 3 4 resulting in his appearance on the cover of Time magazine in September 1994 5 His nickname originates from his love for cookies 6 Standing 137 cm 4 ft 6 in Sandifer was a young member of the Chicago street gang the Black Disciples BD Robert SandiferBorn 1983 03 12 March 12 1983Chicago Illinois U S DiedSeptember 1 1994 1994 09 01 aged 11 Chicago Illinois U S Cause of deathGunshot woundsOther names Yummy Occupation s Street gang member Black Disciples Criminal statusDeceasedCriminal chargearson armed robbery drug possessionPenaltyProbationAfter committing murder arson and armed robbery he was murdered by his own fellow gang members who feared he could become an informant and that he was attracting too much attention towards their activities Coverage of Sandifer s death and retrospectives on his short violent life were widely published in the American media Sandifer became a symbol of the gang problem in American inner cities the failure of social safety nets and the shortcomings of the juvenile justice system Contents 1 Early life 1 1 Murder of Shavon Dean 2 Death 3 In popular media 4 See also 5 ReferencesEarly life EditRobert Sandifer was born in Chicago Illinois on March 12 1983 Sandifer s mother Lorina Sandifer had over 30 arrests while prostituting 7 many of which were drug related Sandifer s father Robert Akins was absent throughout Sandifer s life due to incarceration for a felony gun charge Sandifer was physically abused from the time he was an infant 6 Before he was three years old Sandifer was already known to the Department of Children and Family Services DCFS Physical examinations showed that Sandifer was alleged to have had cigarette burns on his arms and neck as well as linear bruising consistent with physical beatings Lorina initially blamed the abuse on Sandifer s father although she later recanted 8 In 1987 Sandifer and his siblings were removed from his mother s home by DCFS and were sent to live with their grandmother in the Roseland neighborhood of Chicago His grandmother s residence contained as many as 19 children on some occasions By most accounts his grandmother s home was not much better than Sandifer s previous home 8 Sandifer by the age of eight quit attending school and began to roam the streets stealing cars and breaking into houses At the age of ten Sandifer was arrested on charges of armed robbery A psychological examiner at the time reported that Robert is a child growing up without any encouragement and support and that he has a sense of failure that has infiltrated almost every aspect of his inner self 8 In 1993 Sandifer and his siblings were removed from his grandmother s home and were sent to the Lawrence Hall DCFS shelter on Chicago s North Side from which Sandifer ran away and never returned From 1993 until his death Sandifer s whereabouts and living arrangements remain unclear although he continued to be arrested by the authorities 2 Murder of Shavon Dean Edit On August 28 1994 Sandifer was ordered to do a favor for his gang He opened fire several times with a 9 millimeter semiautomatic pistol striking several youths Sandifer quickly fled the scene Among his victims was a 14 year old girl Shavon Dean who was fatally hit by a stray bullet 9 Death EditAfter the shooting the police were looking for Sandifer who was hiding with gang members in the neighborhood 10 On August 31 while standing on a neighbor s porch after asking to call his grandmother 11 Sandifer was met by brothers Cragg and Derrick Hardaway ages 16 and 14 who were both members of the Black Disciples street gang Sandifer was told he was being taken to a safe location out of town and ordered into a waiting car 9 Instead he was taken to a railroad underpass at East 108th Street and South Dauphin Avenue and told to get on his knees While kneeling Sandifer was shot twice in the back of the head by the Hardaway brothers 9 Sandifer s body was discovered by the Chicago Police Department in the early morning of September 1 12 13 Around 400 people attended Sandifer s funeral which was held at the Youth Center Church of God in Christ on Chicago s Northwest Side 14 The Hardaway brothers were later convicted of Sandifer s murder 12 13 Derrick received a 45 year sentence and Cragg received a 60 year sentence Derrick was released from prison in December 2016 Cragg was released from prison in December 2020 15 In popular media EditYummy the Last Days of a Southside Shorty a graphic novelSee also EditAfrican American organized crimeReferences Edit Long Elizabeth Valk September 19 1994 To Our Readers TIME Archived from the original on January 22 2011 Retrieved March 30 2011 a b Gibbs Nancy R Grace Julie Hull Jon D September 19 1994 Murder in Miniature TIME Archived from the original on April 28 2007 Retrieved March 30 2011 Grace Julie September 12 1994 There Are No Children Here TIME Archived from the original on January 22 2008 Retrieved March 30 2011 Hewitt Bill September 19 1994 Death at an Early Age People pp 52 54 Retrieved March 30 2011 TIME Magazine Cover Robert Yummy Sandifer TIME September 19 1994 Archived from the original on January 22 2008 Retrieved March 30 2011 a b Powers Mike Winter 1995 Stop the Violence Human Ecology Forum 23 1 Archived from the original on July 5 2021 Retrieved June 10 2019 Too Young to Kill Too Young to Die Robert Yummy Sandifer Morbidology January 19 2018 a b c Papajohn George September 2 1994 Robert Executed At 11 Chicago Tribune Retrieved June 10 2019 a b c Two fellow gang members charged in execution of 11 year old Daily Herald Associated Press September 3 1994 p 6 via NewspaperArchive Crime Sep 03 1994 1215300 NewspaperArchive Buckley William Lee Madeline 11 year old Yummy Sandifer was on the run for killing a teenage girl Then he was killed by his own gang in a Chicago story that shocked the nation 25 years ago chicagotribune com a b Sharon Cohen December 18 2007 Locked up at 14 for an infamous murder living with regrets and dreaming of a future Star News Archived from the original on December 14 2013 Retrieved January 4 2016 a b Lee William Buckley Madeline August 30 2019 11 year old Yummy Sandifer was on the run for killing a teenage girl Then he was killed by his own gang in a Chicago story that shocked the nation 25 years ago Chicago Tribune Retrieved August 31 2019 a href Template Cite news html title Template Cite news cite news a CS1 maint uses authors parameter link Terry Don September 8 1994 In an 11 Year Old s Funeral a Grim Lesson The New York Times Retrieved September 15 2013 Bogert Carroll November 20 2020 I Wasn t a Superpredator I Was a Kid Who Made a Terrible Decision The Marshall Project Retrieved April 6 2021 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Robert Sandifer amp oldid 1128395181, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
