Dockett, who played 11 seasons at defensive tackle for the Cardinals and was selected to three Pro Bowls, has lived with the memory of his mother’s death for over 20 years. Dockett lost his father to cancer four months later and was raised by his uncle, Kevin Dockett.
In a
Bleacher Report feature video, Dockett returned to the home for the first time since his mother’s murder. The current resident would not allow Dockett inside, but he said it was simply surreal to be back at the house.
“I was looking through the crack of the door and … it was a weird feeling,” Dockett said. “I didn’t even want to tell her that somebody died in the house. I don’t want to put that on nobody.”
Dockett explained how the image of his mother’s blood on the wall is still a vivid recollection. Cheryl Hambrick’s murder is still unsolved.
On the day of his mother’s death, Dockett said he sensed something was wrong as soon as he walked through the door.
“It was very quiet,” Dockett said. “It was like so quiet you could hear the crack in the wall, like a weird sound. I just took a right and looked down the hall (and saw Hambrick) laying in a fetal position in yellow pants and a white shirt.
“I was stunned. Everything was spinning around in my head.”
There was no forced entry. Hambrick had been shot multiple times, including a shot to the head.
“I just remember this dark feeling, like evilness just there,” Dockett said. “I was like, ‘Who did that?’
“I just cried. I don’t think I slept for like two days. This is at 13 years old. The person I loved the most was gone. That was the most emotional day of my life.”
