Lauren Juma, a daughter and sister, was a sophomore cheerleader at Nimitz High School that had dreams of joining the military. The 16-year-old’s dreams were cut short, however, by a man that her mother trusted around her daughter throughout the duration of their five-year courtship.
Van Brisbon, 60, was alone in the house with Lauren early on Friday morning when she called 911 for help. Lauren told 911 operators that she woke up to Brisbon, her mother’s boyfriend, “acting weird” and then holding her captive at gunpoint in the Humble, Texas home. In an attempt to get help, Lauren also called her mother, Laurie Young, who was out of town for work, and sister, Keryca Harmon, 19.
“My baby called me — FaceTimed me and she said, ‘Mom, help me!'” Young told KHOU 11. “That’s the last time I heard her voice.”
Lauren asked her mother to tell Brisbon to leave via FaceTime. As the mother was telling Brisbon to leave, he pulled out a gun and her daughter screamed. The phone call was disconnected.
“He treated Lauren like she was his baby,” Young said. “I don’t understand. He can rot in jail. He had no reason to take my baby’s life.”
Harmon went to the house located on Canton Trace Lane near 1960 FM to pick up Lauren, but she could not access the inside of the home.
“She just wanted to get away, that’s all she wanted,” Lauren’s sister. “She just said he was being really weird and wanted me to pick her up.”
Gunshots were heard coming from the residence by the time deputies from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office arrived.
“I was there for three minutes before I heard two gunshots go off, and I could just remember running up to the house and officers telling me to go back to my car,” Harmon said.
According to police reports, Brisbon came outside with his pants undone, refusing to cooperate with police. Brisbon reportedly told them, “Do what you have to do.” Later, reports revealed that he was highly intoxicated.
Lauren was discovered deceased with multiple gunshot wounds. In a Harris County court hearing, details of Lauren possibly being sexually assaulted were also revealed when investigators said that she was found with her pants down. A forensic exam has been ordered to determine if Lauren was sexually assaulted.
Brisbon’s bond is set at $2 million, increased from its initial $1 million bond as new details emerge. Brisbon’s niece appeared at his hearing in tears, showing support for Lauren and her family.
“I love my uncle to death, I swear I do, but I will never be able to understand how he did something like this to Lauren,” the niece said.
A GoFundMe has been created in preparation for Lauren’s farewell.
“My daughter was a very wonderful loving caring person,” Lauren’s father, Sajjad Juma, said in an interview with Fox 26. “She loved everybody and everybody loved her.”
