July 14, 2025 • 9 mins
In this episode of Hunting 4 Answers: On Father’s Day 2006, 16-year-old honor student Chanel Petro-Nixon left her Brooklyn home to meet a classmate. Four days later, her remains were found in a trash bag. For a decade, her murder remained unsolved—until a shocking arrest overseas unraveled a chilling pattern of violence.
This is the story of Chanel Petro-Nixon.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect
Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a
true crime podcast. I'm your host Hunter, and today we're
discussing a case that took place in Brooklyn, New York,
on Father's Day two thousand and six. This case remained
(00:20):
unsolved for over a decade, leaving a family devastated and
a community searching for answers when a sixteen year old
honor student had arranged to meet a classmate and then vanished.
This is the story of Chanelle Petro Nixon. Chanelle Petro
(00:42):
Nixon was born on August fourth, nineteen eighty nine. She
was the daughter that every parent had dreams of having.
At sixteen years old, she was in eleventh grader at
Boys and Girls High School in Brooklyn, where she maintained
straight a's. Janelle lived in the Bedsday area of Brooklyn
(01:03):
with her father, Anthony Garvin, her mother, Lucyita Nixon, and
her brothers Marcus and Giovanni. She was a devoted member
of Mount of Olive's Seventh day Adventist Church on Bushwick Avenue,
never missing Sunday service or prayer meetings. Friends and family
(01:24):
called her the perfect kid. She had dreams, ambitions, and
a smile that could light up any room. But on
Father's Day two thousand and six, Janelle's bright future would
take a tragic turn. June eighteenth, two thousand and six,
(01:45):
Father's Day Sunday in Brooklyn, Janelle left her family's Bedstye
home with plans to visit someone. She told her parents
she would be meeting a class meet from school. That
classmate was a named Baron Primus, a young man who
would become the center of a decade long investigation. Would
(02:09):
start it as a simple plan to meet a friend,
would turn into every parent's worst nightmare. As Sunday evening
turned tonight, Chanelle didn't return home. This was completely out
of character for the responsible teenager who never missed church
on Sundays. Monday, June nineteenth, two thousand and six, when
(02:34):
Chanelle still hadn't returned home the next day, her frantic
parents reported her missing to the police. This wasn't like Chanelle.
She didn't disappear, she didn't rebel, she didn't break any rules.
For three agonizing days, Chanelle's family searched for answers. They
(02:57):
distributed flyers contact friends and prayed for her safe return.
The straight a student seemed to have simply vanished. Then,
on June twenty second, two thousand and six, their worst
fears were confirmed in the most horrific way. On June
(03:20):
twenty second, four days after Chanelle was last seen alive,
someone passing by made a gruesome discovery on Kingston Avenue
in Crown Heights. There, in a trash bag was the
body of sixteen year old Chanel Petro Nixon. The medical
examiner determined that Chanell had been strangled. The bright, beautiful
(03:44):
teenager who had everything to live for had been murdered,
But finding Chanell's body was only the beginning. The search
for her killer would prove to be a long and
very frustrating journey that would test her family's faith and resilience.
(04:05):
For the next ten years, Janelle's case remained unsolved. Detectives
investigated leads, interviewed witnesses, and followed up on tips, but
no arrests were made. The case grew cold, but Chanelle's
family never gave up hope. Chanelle's mother, Lucida, would later
(04:27):
describe those ten years as the most agonizing period of
her life. Not knowing who killed her beautiful daughter, pour
her apart. Every day brought the same questions, who did this,
why and would they ever face justice. The family organized vigils,
(04:49):
kept Chanelle's story in the news, and never stop pushing
for answers, refusing to let their daughter become just another
forgotten victim. In twenty sixteen, exactly ten years after Chanell's murder,
there was a breakthrough. Varon Primus, the classmate Chanell had
(05:12):
gone to meet on Father's Day, was charged with her murder.
Prosecutors revealed that Primus had been the last person to
see Chanell alive. He was indicted on one count of
second degree murder and faced up to twenty five years
to life in prison if convicted. But there was a problem.
(05:35):
Varon Primus wasn't in Brooklyn. He wasn't even in the
United States. He was thousands of miles away, sitting in
a prison cell in the Caribbean nation of Saint Vincent
and the Grenadines. In the years following Chanell's murder, Baron
Primus had built a disturbing criminal history. He had been
(05:56):
accused by two different women of sexual assault, but was
acquitted at trial. He later went to state prison in
New York for violating an order of protection taken out
by an ex girlfriend. A few years later, Primus was
arrested for allegedly raping a woman and was subsequently convicted
(06:18):
of assault. He served around four years in prison and
was deported in twenty fifteen. But his criminal behavior didn't
end with his deportation. If anything, it escalated. While in
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Primus reportedly stabbed a real
(06:40):
estate agent to death. The victim was thirty one year
old Charlene Grieves, who was found dead in November twenty fifteen.
Primus was convicted of this murder in the Caribbean Nation,
but even prison couldn't contain this man. He escaped not
once but twice from prison on the Caribbean Island. The
(07:03):
second time he turned himself into police twelve hours after
his escape. In twenty seventeen, Primus was being held in
Saint Vincent awaiting proceedings for the murder of Charlene Greeves.
This created a complex legal situation regarding his extradition to
(07:24):
the United States to face charges for Chanell's murder, and
while he had been charged in Chanell's murder, getting him
back to Brooklyn to face trial proved to be a
legal nightmare. Janelle's family found themselves caught up in a
web of international law, extradition treaties, and competing legal systems.
(07:50):
The man accused of killing their daughter was facing justice
for another murder, but would he ever face justice for
Chanelle's death. Janelle's story became more than just a murder case.
It became a symbol of the senseless violence that claims
(08:11):
way too many young lives. It highlighted the importance of
never giving up on cold cases and the power of
a family's perseverance in seeking justice. Janelle's family never stopped
fighting for answers, and their persistence eventually led to charges
being filed, even with justice being delayed. Today, Chanelle Petro
(08:36):
Nixon would be thirty five years old and her family
continues to seek justice for her murder. The case remains
complicated by international legal issues, but Chanelle's memory lives on
in the hearts of those who loved her. My thoughts
and prayers are with the family and friends of Chanelle
Petro Nixon as we close out this episode. Don't forget
(08:59):
to click the follow button to stay updated on Chanelle's
case and others like it. Be sure to subscribe to
Hunting for Answers on YouTube and follow us on Instagram
and TikTok for more true crime updates. And if you
are watching us on YouTube, let us know your thoughts
on this case down in the comments. Thank you so
(09:20):
much for joining us on another episode until next time.
Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect
Podcast Network. For more podcasts from the Black Effect Podcast Network,
visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen
(09:41):
to your favorite shows.
Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect
Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a
true crime podcast. I'm your host Hunter, and today we're
discussing a case that took place in Brooklyn, New York,
on Father's Day two thousand and six. This case remained
(00:20):
unsolved for over a decade, leaving a family devastated and
a community searching for answers when a sixteen year old
honor student had arranged to meet a classmate and then vanished.
This is the story of Chanelle Petro Nixon. Chanelle Petro
(00:42):
Nixon was born on August fourth, nineteen eighty nine. She
was the daughter that every parent had dreams of having.
At sixteen years old, she was in eleventh grader at
Boys and Girls High School in Brooklyn, where she maintained
straight a's. Janelle lived in the Bedsday area of Brooklyn
(01:03):
with her father, Anthony Garvin, her mother, Lucyita Nixon, and
her brothers Marcus and Giovanni. She was a devoted member
of Mount of Olive's Seventh day Adventist Church on Bushwick Avenue,
never missing Sunday service or prayer meetings. Friends and family
(01:24):
called her the perfect kid. She had dreams, ambitions, and
a smile that could light up any room. But on
Father's Day two thousand and six, Janelle's bright future would
take a tragic turn. June eighteenth, two thousand and six,
(01:45):
Father's Day Sunday in Brooklyn, Janelle left her family's Bedstye
home with plans to visit someone. She told her parents
she would be meeting a class meet from school. That
classmate was a named Baron Primus, a young man who
would become the center of a decade long investigation. Would
(02:09):
start it as a simple plan to meet a friend,
would turn into every parent's worst nightmare. As Sunday evening
turned tonight, Chanelle didn't return home. This was completely out
of character for the responsible teenager who never missed church
on Sundays. Monday, June nineteenth, two thousand and six, when
(02:34):
Chanelle still hadn't returned home the next day, her frantic
parents reported her missing to the police. This wasn't like Chanelle.
She didn't disappear, she didn't rebel, she didn't break any rules.
For three agonizing days, Chanelle's family searched for answers. They
(02:57):
distributed flyers contact friends and prayed for her safe return.
The straight a student seemed to have simply vanished. Then,
on June twenty second, two thousand and six, their worst
fears were confirmed in the most horrific way. On June
(03:20):
twenty second, four days after Chanelle was last seen alive,
someone passing by made a gruesome discovery on Kingston Avenue
in Crown Heights. There, in a trash bag was the
body of sixteen year old Chanel Petro Nixon. The medical
examiner determined that Chanell had been strangled. The bright, beautiful
(03:44):
teenager who had everything to live for had been murdered,
But finding Chanell's body was only the beginning. The search
for her killer would prove to be a long and
very frustrating journey that would test her family's faith and resilience.
(04:05):
For the next ten years, Janelle's case remained unsolved. Detectives
investigated leads, interviewed witnesses, and followed up on tips, but
no arrests were made. The case grew cold, but Chanelle's
family never gave up hope. Chanelle's mother, Lucida, would later
(04:27):
describe those ten years as the most agonizing period of
her life. Not knowing who killed her beautiful daughter, pour
her apart. Every day brought the same questions, who did this,
why and would they ever face justice. The family organized vigils,
(04:49):
kept Chanelle's story in the news, and never stop pushing
for answers, refusing to let their daughter become just another
forgotten victim. In twenty sixteen, exactly ten years after Chanell's murder,
there was a breakthrough. Varon Primus, the classmate Chanell had
(05:12):
gone to meet on Father's Day, was charged with her murder.
Prosecutors revealed that Primus had been the last person to
see Chanell alive. He was indicted on one count of
second degree murder and faced up to twenty five years
to life in prison if convicted. But there was a problem.
(05:35):
Varon Primus wasn't in Brooklyn. He wasn't even in the
United States. He was thousands of miles away, sitting in
a prison cell in the Caribbean nation of Saint Vincent
and the Grenadines. In the years following Chanell's murder, Baron
Primus had built a disturbing criminal history. He had been
(05:56):
accused by two different women of sexual assault, but was
acquitted at trial. He later went to state prison in
New York for violating an order of protection taken out
by an ex girlfriend. A few years later, Primus was
arrested for allegedly raping a woman and was subsequently convicted
(06:18):
of assault. He served around four years in prison and
was deported in twenty fifteen. But his criminal behavior didn't
end with his deportation. If anything, it escalated. While in
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Primus reportedly stabbed a real
(06:40):
estate agent to death. The victim was thirty one year
old Charlene Grieves, who was found dead in November twenty fifteen.
Primus was convicted of this murder in the Caribbean Nation,
but even prison couldn't contain this man. He escaped not
once but twice from prison on the Caribbean Island. The
(07:03):
second time he turned himself into police twelve hours after
his escape. In twenty seventeen, Primus was being held in
Saint Vincent awaiting proceedings for the murder of Charlene Greeves.
This created a complex legal situation regarding his extradition to
(07:24):
the United States to face charges for Chanell's murder, and
while he had been charged in Chanell's murder, getting him
back to Brooklyn to face trial proved to be a
legal nightmare. Janelle's family found themselves caught up in a
web of international law, extradition treaties, and competing legal systems.
(07:50):
The man accused of killing their daughter was facing justice
for another murder, but would he ever face justice for
Chanelle's death. Janelle's story became more than just a murder case.
It became a symbol of the senseless violence that claims
(08:11):
way too many young lives. It highlighted the importance of
never giving up on cold cases and the power of
a family's perseverance in seeking justice. Janelle's family never stopped
fighting for answers, and their persistence eventually led to charges
being filed, even with justice being delayed. Today, Chanelle Petro
(08:36):
Nixon would be thirty five years old and her family
continues to seek justice for her murder. The case remains
complicated by international legal issues, but Chanelle's memory lives on
in the hearts of those who loved her. My thoughts
and prayers are with the family and friends of Chanelle
Petro Nixon as we close out this episode. Don't forget
(08:59):
to click the follow button to stay updated on Chanelle's
case and others like it. Be sure to subscribe to
Hunting for Answers on YouTube and follow us on Instagram
and TikTok for more true crime updates. And if you
are watching us on YouTube, let us know your thoughts
on this case down in the comments. Thank you so
(09:20):
much for joining us on another episode until next time.
Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect
Podcast Network. For more podcasts from the Black Effect Podcast Network,
visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen
(09:41):
to your favorite shows.
Host
Hunter Gilmore
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