McClendon Responds To Parents' Murders As Police Search For Killers

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Oct 23, 2009 9:20PM

CLTV show host Garrard McClendon spoke out about the murder of his parents even as police have received leads that have helped them close in on two suspects in the crime. McClendon's parents, Ruby and Milton, were found dead of gunshot wounds in a south suburban forest preserve on Monday. Police later recovered the couple's car, abandoned along the Dan Ryan Expressway, and had named their Hammond, Indiana home as a crime scene. The suspects were also reportedly seen trying to sale objects stolen from the McClendon's home, leading police to suspect that the couple, one of the first black couples to move to Hammond, were targets simply because of their age and vulnerability.

McClendon has spoken out about his parents' murder in an interview with WGN, saying, "My parents were very trusting people, even though they were careful about their security...The perpetrators may have got upset when they realized there was very little of value in the home. My parents weren't the type to keep money in the house." He also said he's forgiven the killers, adding, Do I want them caught? Of course...But I can't live a productive life just in constant pain...Yes, I want justice served." The entire interview can be viewed here.

The couple will be laid to rest Monday morning at St. Paul Episcopal Church in Munster, Indiana.