1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,800 Speaker 1: Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect 2 00:00:02,840 --> 00:00:08,639 Speaker 1: Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a 3 00:00:08,680 --> 00:00:13,480 Speaker 1: true crime podcast. I'm your host Hunter, and Today's case 4 00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:18,760 Speaker 1: takes us way back to September tenth, nineteen seventy one, 5 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:21,640 Speaker 1: and centers around a twenty two year old civil rights 6 00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:26,520 Speaker 1: activist and trailblazer. According to some accounts, she accepted a 7 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:30,560 Speaker 1: ride from a stranger, while other sources suggest she was 8 00:00:30,640 --> 00:00:33,479 Speaker 1: abducted while waiting for a bus on her way to work. 9 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:37,640 Speaker 2: She also happened to be the first black. 10 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:41,040 Speaker 1: Homecoming queen at a predominantly white university in the South, 11 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:46,839 Speaker 1: and her death remains unsolved after more than fifty years. 12 00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:56,280 Speaker 1: This is the story of Lynn u Zan. Lynn Cecilia 13 00:00:56,440 --> 00:01:02,600 Speaker 1: Uzan was born on October eleventh, nineteen forty, in Galveston County, Texas, 14 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:08,319 Speaker 1: to Ida A. Boudreau Uzanne and Wilbur Thurkield Uzanne, Senior. 15 00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:12,880 Speaker 1: By nineteen sixty eight, Lynn had become one of the 16 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:17,520 Speaker 1: first black students admitted into the University of Houston or 17 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:24,160 Speaker 1: U eight. With a bright smile and fierce determination, Lynn 18 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:30,720 Speaker 1: wasn't just another student, She was a revolutionary. While studying journalism. 19 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:35,560 Speaker 1: She co founded the African American Studies program at UH 20 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:40,240 Speaker 1: and helped establish the Shape Community Center in nineteen sixty nine. 21 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:44,280 Speaker 1: She was also a charter member of Alpha Kappa Alpha 22 00:01:44,280 --> 00:01:46,759 Speaker 1: sorority and even played. 23 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:48,240 Speaker 2: In the university's marching band. 24 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:55,000 Speaker 1: But Lynn's activism went well beyond campus activities. She had 25 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:59,640 Speaker 1: even been arrested a few times for demonstrating all of 26 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 1: this during the civil rights era. November nineteen sixty eight, 27 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:12,080 Speaker 1: the University of Houston Astrodome, in a moment that shocked 28 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:16,680 Speaker 1: the nation, Lynn Yuzan was crowned the first African American 29 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:20,519 Speaker 1: Homecoming queen at a predominantly white university in the South. 30 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:24,799 Speaker 1: She beat five white candidates in a victory that sent 31 00:02:24,919 --> 00:02:29,800 Speaker 1: shockwaves through the segregated South. The shock that she was 32 00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:34,160 Speaker 1: actually named it was fantastic, recalled her friend Jean Law, 33 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:38,960 Speaker 1: who was there that night. The Daily Cougar newspaper called 34 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:43,799 Speaker 1: her election a symbol representing uh's defiance of the wall 35 00:02:43,919 --> 00:02:51,360 Speaker 1: of prejudice, but not everyone was celebrating. Lynn's crown wasn't 36 00:02:51,480 --> 00:02:58,240 Speaker 1: just a tiara. It was a statement, a declaration that 37 00:02:58,440 --> 00:03:02,680 Speaker 1: change was coming to the AMA in South. She used 38 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:07,640 Speaker 1: her platform to fight for social justice, leading rap sessions 39 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:12,440 Speaker 1: and presenting demands to the university president that included things 40 00:03:12,520 --> 00:03:19,320 Speaker 1: like an African American studies program, more black administrators and instructors, 41 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:26,320 Speaker 1: increased financial aid, and better wages for maintenance workers. There 42 00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:29,239 Speaker 1: were other blacks who felt as I did, and who 43 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:33,840 Speaker 1: were facing the same problems I was. By organizing into 44 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:37,200 Speaker 1: a group, we were able to make our problems known. 45 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:42,840 Speaker 1: Lynn once told The Houston Chronicle her activism made her 46 00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:50,760 Speaker 1: beloved by some and despised by others. September tenth, nineteen 47 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:56,400 Speaker 1: seventy one, Houston, Texas, it was a rainy day in Lynn, 48 00:03:56,480 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 1: now twenty two years old and a recent graduate of 49 00:03:59,320 --> 00:04:03,280 Speaker 1: Uhe was walking to her job when the rain started. 50 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:07,480 Speaker 1: According to some accounts, a stranger offered her a ride. 51 00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:10,680 Speaker 1: In that split second decision to get out of the rain, 52 00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:13,080 Speaker 1: Lind's fate was sealed. 53 00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:17,640 Speaker 2: However, other reports say she was abducted. 54 00:04:18,760 --> 00:04:25,000 Speaker 1: Nonetheless, whatever happened would leave a family devastated, a community outraged, 55 00:04:25,680 --> 00:04:31,799 Speaker 1: and questions that remain unanswered till this day. On that morning, 56 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:35,200 Speaker 1: a Houston police car was struck by a nineteen seventy 57 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:38,839 Speaker 1: one Chevrolet saidan driven by a twenty six year old 58 00:04:38,839 --> 00:04:44,280 Speaker 1: black man named Leo Jackson Junior. When officers approached the vehicle, 59 00:04:44,640 --> 00:04:49,200 Speaker 1: they found Lynn Uzanne in the back seat, stabbed six 60 00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:54,800 Speaker 1: times in fighting for her life. She was rushed to 61 00:04:54,839 --> 00:04:59,920 Speaker 1: the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Jackson claimed that 62 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:05,400 Speaker 1: the hysterical Linn had attacked him and stabbed herself, and 63 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:07,960 Speaker 1: that he was rushing her to the hospital when he 64 00:05:08,040 --> 00:05:15,480 Speaker 1: crashed into the police car. However, the evidence told a 65 00:05:15,480 --> 00:05:22,520 Speaker 1: different story. The medical examiner's report was damning. Lynn had 66 00:05:22,560 --> 00:05:27,520 Speaker 1: been stabbed multiple times in the back, wounds that could 67 00:05:27,600 --> 00:05:32,400 Speaker 1: not have possibly been self inflicted. In Leo Jackson Junior 68 00:05:33,320 --> 00:05:37,920 Speaker 1: wasn't just a good samaritan trying to help. He had 69 00:05:37,960 --> 00:05:41,760 Speaker 1: a lengthy criminal record, with fourteen prior arrests for sexual 70 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:47,479 Speaker 1: and other forms of assault and armed robbery. The evidence 71 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:52,560 Speaker 1: became overwhelming. The case seemed open and shut, But in 72 00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:57,320 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy two, after a trial that shocked the community, 73 00:05:58,480 --> 00:06:04,520 Speaker 1: a jury acquitted ly A Jackson Junior of murder. How 74 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:07,880 Speaker 1: does a man with all of those arrests get acquitted 75 00:06:07,960 --> 00:06:12,200 Speaker 1: of murdering a civil rights leader when the evidence clearly 76 00:06:12,279 --> 00:06:16,880 Speaker 1: showed she was stabbed in the back. Lynn's friends and 77 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:21,640 Speaker 1: family were devastated. Her close friend Jeanne had said, it 78 00:06:21,760 --> 00:06:25,400 Speaker 1: was a shock. It still is a shock when the 79 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:29,800 Speaker 1: word came back. We were just in total disbelief, tragic, 80 00:06:30,600 --> 00:06:35,679 Speaker 1: very sad. Many in the community believe that racism played 81 00:06:35,680 --> 00:06:39,400 Speaker 1: a role in the verdict. Here was a young black 82 00:06:39,440 --> 00:06:43,400 Speaker 1: woman who had dared to break barriers, to challenge the 83 00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:48,159 Speaker 1: status quo, and to wear a crown that some felt 84 00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:53,880 Speaker 1: she didn't deserve. After the acquittal, no one else was 85 00:06:53,920 --> 00:06:58,400 Speaker 1: ever charged in connection with Lynn Muzanne's death. The case 86 00:06:58,440 --> 00:07:03,640 Speaker 1: remains officially unsolved, a cold case that has haunted Houston 87 00:07:03,960 --> 00:07:10,120 Speaker 1: for more than five decades. Lynn's death certificate simply states 88 00:07:10,120 --> 00:07:13,880 Speaker 1: she was stabbed in the back. Her niece, Andrea Uzanne, 89 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:19,640 Speaker 1: says the family has never gotten closure. Her death left 90 00:07:19,640 --> 00:07:30,080 Speaker 1: an indelible mark, Andrea said, but then so did her life. 91 00:07:30,200 --> 00:07:34,800 Speaker 1: In nineteen seventy six, five years after her death, the 92 00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:40,040 Speaker 1: University of Houston dedicated Lynn Uzanne Park, a four point 93 00:07:40,080 --> 00:07:44,000 Speaker 1: six acre park in the center of campus where diverse 94 00:07:44,040 --> 00:07:49,600 Speaker 1: groups gather, just as Lynn would have wanted. In twenty eighteen, 95 00:07:49,920 --> 00:07:53,600 Speaker 1: nearly fifty years after she helped create it, the university 96 00:07:53,680 --> 00:07:58,800 Speaker 1: finally approved a bachelor's degree in African American studies, the 97 00:07:58,880 --> 00:08:05,200 Speaker 1: program that l fought to establish. Lynn Uzanne was so 98 00:08:05,320 --> 00:08:12,720 Speaker 1: much more than just a homecoming queen. She was a journalist, activist, advocate, organizer, 99 00:08:13,280 --> 00:08:16,080 Speaker 1: and a trailblazer who helped change the face of higher 100 00:08:16,200 --> 00:08:20,560 Speaker 1: education in the South. She wanted to bring social justice 101 00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:24,280 Speaker 1: not just to the UH campus, but to the surrounding 102 00:08:24,320 --> 00:08:31,240 Speaker 1: communities and beyond. Today, more than fifty years later, Lynn 103 00:08:31,320 --> 00:08:35,800 Speaker 1: Yuzan's murder remains unsolved. The Houston Police Department lists her 104 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:40,679 Speaker 1: case as legally open, though no active investigation is currently 105 00:08:40,760 --> 00:08:45,800 Speaker 1: under way. However, in twenty thirteen, Leo Jackson, the man 106 00:08:45,920 --> 00:08:50,440 Speaker 1: who was acquitit of her murder, had passed away, taking 107 00:08:50,440 --> 00:08:53,560 Speaker 1: away any secrets he might have had along with him. 108 00:08:54,960 --> 00:08:59,200 Speaker 1: Lynn's case leaves a list of haunting questions. Was she 109 00:08:59,320 --> 00:09:04,760 Speaker 1: targeted because of her activism her crown, did her pioneering 110 00:09:04,840 --> 00:09:06,560 Speaker 1: spirit make her enemies? 111 00:09:07,640 --> 00:09:12,319 Speaker 2: And will her family ever truly get the justice they deserve. 112 00:09:14,360 --> 00:09:17,680 Speaker 1: One thing is for sure, lynn Uzanne wrote down walls 113 00:09:17,720 --> 00:09:21,280 Speaker 1: and open doors that can never be closed again. Her 114 00:09:21,320 --> 00:09:27,640 Speaker 1: death remains unsolved, but her impact is undeniable. My thoughts 115 00:09:27,640 --> 00:09:31,000 Speaker 1: and prayers are with the family of lynn Uzanne anyone 116 00:09:31,080 --> 00:09:35,319 Speaker 1: with information about her case to contact the Houston Police Department. 117 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:39,920 Speaker 1: Their contact information can be found in the description box below. 118 00:09:41,520 --> 00:09:44,640 Speaker 1: As we close out this episode, don't forget to collect 119 00:09:44,679 --> 00:09:47,640 Speaker 1: the follow button to stay updated on this case and 120 00:09:47,760 --> 00:09:51,760 Speaker 1: others like it. Be sure to subscribe to Hunting for 121 00:09:51,840 --> 00:09:55,600 Speaker 1: Answers on YouTube and follow us on Instagram and TikTok 122 00:09:55,640 --> 00:09:59,280 Speaker 1: for more true crime updates. Thank you so much for 123 00:09:59,400 --> 00:10:00,559 Speaker 1: joining us. 124 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:04,000 Speaker 2: On another episode. Until next time. 125 00:10:15,360 --> 00:10:17,920 Speaker 1: Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect 126 00:10:18,040 --> 00:10:22,400 Speaker 1: Podcast Network. For more podcasts from the Black Effect Podcast Network, 127 00:10:22,760 --> 00:10:27,960 Speaker 1: visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 128 00:10:28,080 --> 00:10:29,280 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.