Patrick Burdine was 28-years-old when his life was taken too soon at his South Nashville apartment.     

Burdine had moved to Nashville from Jackson to spread his wings as a makeup artist and performer.    

“He was a young, Black gay man,” mother Glenda Bonds said. “And finally one day I decided to go see him perform. And when I went to see him perform, not just because he was my son, you’ve heard that before, it was the most amazing thing because I didn’t know that side of him. I didn’t know how professional of a dancer he was.” 

Burdine had a bright future ahead and had only been in Nashville for two years when his life was taken.  

“He did his last performance in Memphis and he was dead nine days later. And on that night he died the performance he had about 65 hits from headhunters that were inviting him from California to New York to Louisiana. They wanted him to come there to perform,” Bonds said.  

In the early morning hours of July 28, 2015 his mother received the phone call that her son had been shot the night before at his apartment in the Horizon Park complex on Packard Drive.     

Officers saw Burdine unresponsive through his sliding glass door and when they kicked in his door. He was found with multiple gunshot wounds.    

 One of the only clues from that night was from a witness who told police they saw a shirtless African American man wearing white pants running from the scene just after the shooting.   

And although his life was short-lived, Burdine’s mom especially learned his impact after his passing.    

“His friends were like without Patrick I would have killed myself. You know, the gay world what they battle with. The world acceptance, family acceptance. I had one to tell me numerous times he was going to kill himself and if it wasn’t for Patrick encouraging him to keep going,” Bonds said. “I heard that numerous times from numerous people.” 

Now, nearly six years later and no closure, Burdine’s mom said her faith has gotten her through.  

“I did a study and searched the scriptures about murder and what God thought about it. And it scared me,” Bonds said. “He doesn’t think kindly of anyone’s blood poured into his soil and there’s a great deal of consequences that come with that, so I almost feel sorry for them because they will have to stand and face those consequences with someone far greater than any man that walked this Earth.” 

 She holds onto that same faith with hope that someone with information will come forward with information on Burdine’s death.  

“That would bring a great deal of comfort to me to know that as a human being that they can be obedient and listen to God and come tell the truth,” Bonds said. “Knowing that your conscious could finally be free. Knowing that person could be coming into a new man or new woman to say you know, I can’t carry this anymore. It needs to be told, this is someone’s child.”    

Metro police told News 2 even if a murder is in their cold case unit, they are constantly looking for leads to avoid the case from going completely cold.  

Anyone with information on Burdine’s murder is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 615-74-CRIME. Tips can remain anonymous and can lead to a $1,000 cash reward.