Victim Spotlight: Who Was Sony Millbrook, Beyond the Case File?

# Victim Spotlight: Who Was Sony Millbrook, Beyond the Case File?

A popular Memphis high schooler, a nursing student, a church member and a mother of five who always picked her children up on time. Her cousin, her church, her employer and her friends remember who Sony Millbrook was before January 27, 2010.

Quick Context

On January 27, 2010, Sony Millbrook, 28, dropped her children off in Memphis, Tennessee, and never picked them up. Nearly seven weeks later, on March 15, 2010, she was found in a motel room. A jury convicted her longtime partner, LaKeith Moody, of her murder in 2014. The facts of the case are in our case preview, case breakdown and evidence analysis.

This post is different. It is about who she was.

A note on what we can and cannot say. Far less is public about Sony's life than about her death. In the sources we searched, we found no obituary, no memorial page and no long-form profile. What exists comes from a few places: local news reports from 2010 in which her cousin and her church spoke about her, and testimony summarized in the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals opinion. We rely on those, we name every source, and we have not added anything about her that the record does not support. A few social media posts call her Sony "Annette" Millbrook and describe her as an aspiring nurse. We could not confirm the middle name from a primary source, and we have used only what a news outlet or court record states. (Sources: WMC-TV, 2010; State v. Moody, Tenn. Crim. App. (2016))

A Memphis Girl Who Was "Very Popular"

Sony grew up in Memphis. Her cousin, Jennifer Pickett, grew up with her. "Pickett and Sony grew up together, and have always been close," WMC-TV reported in early February 2010, days after Sony disappeared. (Source: WMC-TV, Feb. 2010)

Pickett described her to the station: "She was a very popular person in high school. A lot of people love her." (Source: WMC-TV, Feb. 2010)

That love showed up in the days after she went missing. "A lot of people want her to come home," Pickett said. "They're praying for her and wishing the best for her." (Source: WMC-TV, Feb. 2010)

A Mother of Five

Sony was the mother of five children. Her mother, Christine Millbrook Bennett, testified that Sony had five children, and that four of them were fathered by LaKeith Moody. (Source: State v. Moody)

In January 2010, Sony's days were built around her children. Three of them, then about three months, two years, and three or four years old, were enrolled at a child care center on Norris Road. The center's director told the court that Sony was a good parent who always picked up her children on time. She normally dropped them off between 7:00 and 7:30 in the morning and collected them between 1:00 and 2:00 in the afternoon. If she was going to be late, she called. (Source: State v. Moody)

On the morning of January 27, she took the younger children to daycare and her older children to school. WMC-TV reported that police said she was last seen dropping her children off at Westside Middle School. (Sources: WMC-TV, Feb. 2010; State v. Moody)

When she did not come that afternoon, the people around her noticed immediately. Her mother got calls from the school and the daycare. She called Sony's phone and could not reach her. She and her husband collected the children, and by about 10:30 that night, Memphis police were at her door and a missing person report was filed. (Source: State v. Moody)

Her cousin told WMC-TV that Sony's five children missed her greatly. (Source: WMC-TV, Feb. 2010)

A Student and a Worker

WMC-TV described Sony as a nursing student. The court opinion says she was enrolled as a student at a school it calls "Southwest." (Sources: WMC-TV, March 2010; State v. Moody)

In 2008, she worked at Healing Hands Christian Academy. Her employer, Leslie Young, told the court that Sony was a good employee, and that missing work was unusual for her. (Source: State v. Moody)

Her employer was also the person Sony reached out to when she needed help in 2008. Sony texted her, and Young called 911. (Source: State v. Moody)

Friends and Faith

Sony had a friend of many years. Pamela Payton told the court at a pretrial hearing that she and Sony had been friends since the eighth grade. She said she last spoke with Sony the day before she disappeared. Sony told her there was a lot going on, and that she had something to tell her. (Source: State v. Moody)

She also had a church. The Apostolic Deliverance Temple in Memphis was, in WMC-TV's words, the Millbrooks' church home "for longer than Sony lived." Apostle Perry Maples, who gave her eulogy, said the family had attended his temple since before Sony was alive. (Source: WMC-TV, March 2010)

The church also ran a daycare academy. The court opinion names her children's child care center the "Apostle Deliverance Temple Child Development Academy" on Norris Road, and WMC-TV reported that her five children would keep attending the church's daycare. "We love them and we continue to care for them," Maples said. (Sources: State v. Moody; WMC-TV, March 2010)

How Her Family Said Goodbye

Sony was laid to rest in March 2010. WMC-TV reported that there was not an empty seat inside Apostolic Deliverance Temple. Family and loved ones sang, prayed and wept. "She left a legacy here," church superintendent Jerry Taylor said. (Source: WMC-TV, March 2010)

Apostle Maples called the Millbrooks "compassionate and loving" and said they were like family. He called Sony's mother a true example of Christian faith. At the time, police had not charged anyone. He shared what Sony's mother had told him: "I have nothing against the person that did that." She said, "I forgive him," and, "Vengeance belongs to God." (Source: WMC-TV, March 2010)

A family spokesperson, Thelma Rita Heffner, thanked the community: "We have grateful appreciation for the prayers, kind thoughts, deeds, communications, expressions of sympathy and love extended to us." (Source: WMC-TV, March 2010)

When the news broke, her cousin put her grief into words. "I just felt like she wouldn't have an end like this," Pickett said. "In 50 years, I think I'll still feel the hurt that I feel right now for her." (Source: WMC-TV, March 2010)

Remembering Sony

We started this post with a limit. A handful of news quotes and a court opinion cannot hold a whole person, and the people who loved Sony know things we do not. If you knew her, at school, at church, at work or at home, and you want to share a memory, please reach out to us. We will only publish what you give us permission to share.

If this story stayed with you, the most useful thing you can do is say her name. Sony Millbrook was 28. She was a daughter, a cousin, a friend, a student and the mother of five children.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE), or text START to 88788.

Sources

• ✔◦WMC-TV / Action News 5, "Family members mystified by woman's disappearance" (Feb. 2010): read source
• ✔◦WMC-TV / Action News 5, "Family, friends remember woman found under motel bed" (March 2010): read source
• ✔◦WMC-TV via TheGrio, "Missing woman's body found stuffed into bedframe" (March 18, 2010): read source
• ✔◦Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals, State of Tennessee v. LaKeith Moody, No. W2014-01056-CCA-R3-CD (filed March 15, 2016): read source

_This article is based on publicly available reporting and court records current as of October 23, 2026. We have tried to describe Sony as the people who knew her described her. If you have corrections or additional information, please contact us._

Listen and Read More

• ✔◦🎧 Listen to Season 3, Episode 2 on our podcast page
• ✔◦📖 Case Breakdown: The Murder of Sony Millbrook
• ✔◦🔍 Evidence & Analysis: The Sony Millbrook Case

Subscribe to _The Last Known Moment_ on your podcast app, and join the newsletter for new episodes and companion articles.

_— NaturalQueen77 TV \| True crime content focusing on underreported cases \| naturalqueen77tv.blog_