Essence Derouen: Answers Sought For 21-Year-Old Mother Shot Dead Outside Houston Club

Essence Derouen, 21, was fatally shot outside a North Houston nightclub on March 19, 2017. No one has been sent to prison for her murder.

Essence Derouen, 21, was a young mother who was doing all she could to take care of her young son. Derouen worked as a cook at Rice University in Houston, Texas and was pursuing a degree in culinary arts.

On one fateful late winter night in 2017, she went out to the club to have a good time. The record shows that she exited Club Panda and made it to her vehicle. She even waited for the crowd to die down before leaving. But she never made it home.

A car allegedly pulled up beside her and a gunman inside shot up Derouen’s vehicle before pulling off. Derouen was hit. She was later pronounced dead by paramedics. The night was March 19, 2017.

Authorities said they don’t believe that Derouen was the intended target, but the slaying raised lots of questions in and around Houston.

Months went by as investigators tried to find the gunman and witnesses who would tell what they saw.

In April 2017, authorities announced the arrest of 22-year-old Jorian Trayvon Peters. He was charged with the murder of Derouen.

But after two years, prosecutors have not been able to make Peters’ charges stick, nor have they been able to come up with reliable witnesses. As a result, no one is in prison for the murder of Essence Derouen.

We are asking if anyone knows anything about this case to please COME FORWARD and contact the Houston Police Department. #JusticeforEssence.