Yetunde Price was the oldest half-sister to Venus and Serena Williams who was murdered on Sept. 14, 2003, in Compton, California in a drive-by shooting. She was born on August 9, 1972, and was an American professional nurse and entrepreneur before her tragic death.
Serena and Venus Williams are among the world’s best female tennis players. Yetunde Price spent most of her days working as an assistant to her sisters while juggling her two other jobs and family. She stood by her famous sisters at every step of their careers, from the fields to their numerous interviews and to receiving awards. However, all the roles that she played in their lives came to an end in 2003 when she was shot to death by a member of a gang.
Summary of Yetunde Price’s Biography
- Full name: Yetunde Hawanya Tara Price
- Nickname: Tunde
- Gender: Female
- Date of birth: August 9, 1972
- Date of death: September 14, 2003
- Ethnicity: Mixed
- Nationality: American
- Zodiac Sign: Leo
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Religion: Christianity
- Marital Status: Divorced
- Yetunde Price’s ex-Husbands: Jeffery Johnson and Byron Bobbitt
- Yetunde Price’s Children: Jeffery, Justus Bobbitt and Jair Bobbitt
- Yetunde Price’s Parents: Oracene Price and Yusef Rasheed
- Siblings: Lyndrea Price, Isha Price, Serena Williams, and Venus Williams
- Famous for: Being the oldest half sister and assistant to Venus and Serena Williams.
Yetunde Price Was Born in Michigan
Yetunde Price was born on August 9, 1972, in Saginaw, Michigan, the United States of America. She was born to Oracene Price, a Christian mother, and Yusef Rasheed, a Muslim father. Yetunde was of American nationality and held a mixed ethnicity of African descent. Her mother, Oracene Price, is a professional American tennis coach, while what her father did for a living is unknown.
He leveraged on his wife’s fame to gain fame while he was still alive. Sadly, he passed away due to a sudden heart stroke in 1979. This caused her mother to remarry in 1980 to an American tennis coach, Richard Williams. Yetunde Price is the oldest of the children of the American tennis coach.
She had two sisters, Lyndrea Price and Isha Price, and two half sisters, Serena Williams and Venus Williams. Lyndrea Price is an industrious woman who has laid her hands on various endeavors. She is a director of Freelance Wardrobe Consulting and a creative customer for EleVen, a clothing line owned by Venus. Prior to her recent job, she was a wardrobe consultant for the Home Shopping Network.
Isha Price, on the other hand, has also made a name for herself as a lawyer and for producing documentaries. Her half sisters, Serena and Venus Williams, are renowned tennis players who have won several accolades in tournaments and championships. Serena is also a fashion designer and philanthropist who has touched many lives.
Today, the whole family has leveraged their fame in one way or the other to gain public attention. While Yetunde Price was still alive, she was seen to be close to all her sisters, giving them all the love that she could equally. She supported them in their various careers and was always spotted with her two half sisters, giving them all the support that that they needed.
She Was An Assistant To Her Two Well-known Sisters
Yetunde Price got the attention of the public for working as the personal assistant of her two sisters, who are pro-tennis players. She usually joined her sisters at their tournaments to cheer them up and always stood by them at various events. Though details of her academics are unknown, she is known to be well educated following her career.
For someone who had sisters whose net worth runs into the millions, many would think that she wouldn’t pursue a career… She worked as a professional nurse at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, California. In addition, Yetunde also ran a salon in Lakewood, America with her best friend.
The Nurse Had Three Children With Her Ex-husbands
Yetunde Price was hitched to two different men in the past. She got married to her first husband, Jeffery Johnson, and welcomed a son named Jeffery with him. The reason for their separation was however, withheld from the public.
The celebrity sister moved on and got married for the second time to Byron Bobbitt. She had two children with him; Justus Bobbitt and Jair Bobbitt. Yetunde divorced her husband in 2000 because he was physically abusing her.
Yetunde Price Lived With Her Long-Time Boyfriend Before Her death
Before the death of the celebrity sister, she was in a relationship with her long-time boyfriend, Rolland Wormley. The two met at his surprise birthday party, which was organized by their mutual friend for his 28th birthday. While he was on the dance floor, his eyes caught Yetunde sitting in a corner. Because it was his birthday and he wanted everyone to have fun, he approached her and started a conversation with her.
The two vibed well that night and ended up dancing, though they did not know each other well. Within some months, they started dating and started living together after he gained the trust of her children from her previous marriages.
The Celebrity Sister Was Shot To Death By A Gang Member In 2003
On September 14, 2003, Yetunde Price was shot on the head in Campton. Prior to her death, it was revealed that she was to go on a date with her boyfriend, Rolland Wormley, on that same day. Seeing that he wasn’t keeping up with the time, she decided to call him several times. Rolland picked the call and told her to wait the next day as he couldn’t make it.
Yetunde Price didn’t buy the idea of postponing their date, so she decided to pick him up at his friend’s place in West Campton, where he was seeing a boxing match on TV. According to reports, she was tipsy, so she asked her boyfriend to drive. Rolland didn’t have a driver’s license, so he took to the the streets, driving her GMC Yukon Denali. They parked outside a crack house and were having a conversation in the car.
Being a rugged environment, two members of the Southside Campton Crips street gang securing the house started shooting at them, thinking that they were a rival gang. Rolland drove away from the arena to his mum’s house unknown to him that Yetunde had been hit on the head.
On arriving at the place, he placed a call across to emergency services. Shortly after arriving at the Long Bach Medical Center, Long Beach California, she was confirmed dead. She was laid to rest at Park Cemetery Marquette, Marquette County, Michigan, USA on September 19, 2003.
The Culprit Faced Jail Sentences
After a series of investigations were conducted, Robert Maxfield Edward, the Southside Campton Crips street gang member that shot Yetunde, was arrested and set to face trial. The second defendant, who was accused of possessing a hand gun at the time of the murder, was discharged after his first trial. This was based on the fact that he was not the one that caused the wound. In November 2004, the first trial took place and ended with six jurors voting for acquittal, five for guilt, and one undecided vote.
On April 29, 2005, he faced the second trial which ended in an 11-1 vote with a win to conviction. On March 22, 2006, a day before the third trial was scheduled to start, he pleaded no consent to voluntary manslaughter. On April 6, 2006, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison with the possibility of parole by Judge Steven Suzukawa. In 2018, he was set free. However, he was rearrested after he violated his parole.
Her Sisters Keep Her Memory Alive Through The Yetunde Price Resource Center
Yetunde Price is no doubt loved by many, especially her sisters, who have found a way to keep her memory alive. The Game, a Campton rapper, dedicated his 2005 song ‘Dreams’ to Yetunde’s memory. In 2016, they established the Yetunde Price Resource Center, taglined Committed to Helping Others Heal.
The resource center is a community center located it Campton set out to help the victims of violence and their families. In 2021, a biopic movie about Richard William’s life was released, with actress Makayla LaShea Barthlomew playing the role of Yetunde.
