Ennis Cosby
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Ennis William Cosby (April 15, 1969 – January 16, 1997) was the son of comedian-actor Bill Cosby and Camille Cosby. He was murdered in 1997 on the shoulder of Los Angeles' 405 Freeway by Mikhail Markhasev.
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Life
Ennis's father Bill Cosby mined family life for much of his material, but kept the family itself quite private. Thus, much of what is known of Ennis's early life is seen through the filter of his father's comedy sketches and TV shows.
Several events in the life of Ennis Cosby were intentionally mirrored by the events in the life of his father's fictional son, Theo Huxtable, portrayed by Malcolm-Jamal Warner on NBC's The Cosby Show (1984–1992). Both Ennis and Theo had four sisters: two older, two younger. Both had academic problems in middle school and high school. Both were diagnosed with dyslexia and excelled academically in college. And both sought master's degrees in education from elite colleges in New York City: Ennis at Columbia University, Theo at New York University.
Similarly, the character Griffin Vesey, portrayed by Doug E. Doug on CBS's Cosby (1996–2000), was a surrogate son to Cosby's character on that series. Griffin eventually became a teacher, as Ennis had aspired.
Ennis was an admirer of the comedian Eddie Murphy,[citation needed] of whom his father disapproved because of Murphy's vulgar language and jokes. In one of his early standup routines, later released in theaters as Raw, Murphy mentioned Ennis Cosby in a sketch involving Bill Cosby, in which a teenage Ennis asks his parents for money to see a live performance by Murphy. After hearing Murphy's act and the language he uses onstage, the elder Cosby calls Murphy to scold him on his performance. Murphy responded back with an expletive.
Ennis Cosby attended Landmark College in 1990.
Although he performed on stage in high school, Ennis was not a public figure. He graduated from George School, in Newtown, Pennsylvania, and Morehouse College, in Atlanta, Georgia.
Cosby aspired to become a special education teacher after he overcame his dyslexia. At the time of his death, he was a student at Teachers College, Columbia University, and was a Sunday school teacher in the Bronx.
Murder
On January 16, 1997, Cosby had exited his Mercedes from Interstate 405, Los Angeles, to change a flat tire near the off-ramp on Skirball Center Drive when he was confronted by Mikhail Markhasev. Markhasev first confronted Stephanie Crane, who was in her car illuminating the area so that Ennis could see. Markhasev pulled his weapon on Crane who immediately drove away, leaving Ennis alone. According to prosecutors, Markhasev, a Russian immigrant, demanded money from Cosby, then shot him in the head because he was moving too slowly, and fled the scene. Crane returned to the scene where she found Cosby dead. Markhasev was convicted after a jury trial. His DNA was found in a cap wrapped around the murder weapon, and a man to whom Markhasev had sent incriminating letters and told of the location of the murder weapon had testified against him.
After Bill Cosby spoke out against giving Markhasev the death penalty,[1] Markhasev was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 10 years.[2]
Markhasev confessed his guilt in 2001 in a letter to the court stating he wished to discontinue his appeals, also stating in the letter that he, "Wanted to do the right thing...More than anything, [he] wanted to apologize to the victim's family." Markhasev is serving his sentence in Corcoran State Prison.[3]
Ennis Cosby's funeral was held at the Cosby estate in Shelburne, Massachusetts, where he was interred.
Legacy
The Hello Friend/Ennis William Cosby Foundation was established in 1997 by Bill and Camille Cosby to assist educating those with learning difficulties.
In 2000, Bill Cosby started a scholarship in Ennis Cosby's name at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
References
- ^ NNDB Profile of Bill Cosby
- ^ Berry, Steve. Cosby’s Killer Gets Life in Prison. Los Angeles Times, August 12, 1998.
- ^ Siemaszko, Corky. Scott's Fate Still in Limbo. New York Daily News, December 11, 2004.
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