Murder of Ennis Cosby
Ennis Cosby, 1992
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| Date | January 16, 1997 |
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| Time | Approx. 1 a.m. (PST) |
| Location | Los Angeles, California |
| Coordinates | 34°07′29.2″N 118°28′32.7″W / 34.124778°N 118.475750°WCoordinates: 34°07′29.2″N 118°28′32.7″W / 34.124778°N 118.475750°W |
| Type | Murder |
| Burial | January 19, 1997 |
| Suspect(s) | Mikhail Markhasev |
| Charges | First-degree murder and attempted robbery |
| Verdict | Guilty |
| Sentence | Life in prison plus 10 years |
On January 16, 1997, Ennis Cosby was killed near Interstate 405 in Los Angeles, California. Cosby, the son of comedian Bill Cosby, was shot in the head by 18-year-old Mikhail Markhasev in a failed robbery attempt. Cosby's death resulted in significant media coverage, public outrage and an outpouring of support for the Cosby family. Seeking the $100,000 reward offered by the National Enquirer, an acquaintance of the shooter provided information that led to Markhasev's arrest in March 1997. Subsequently, Markhasev was tried and convicted of first-degree murder and attempted robbery on July 7, 1998, and was sentenced to life in prison the following month. Markhasev maintained his innocence until 2001, when he admitted to committing the murder and asked that appeals in his case stop.
Ennis William Cosby (April 15, 1969 – January 16, 1997) was the third child and only son of American comedian Bill Cosby and his wife, Camille Cosby (née Hanks). He had two older sisters, Erika (born 1965) and Erinn (born 1966), and two younger sisters, Ensa (1973) and Evin (1976). When Camille was due to give birth to Ennis, Cosby joked during a television special that, "It had better be a boy, you hear, Camille?" and Camille, off-screen, responded, "Right!" Ennis was born at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles and grew up in Southern California, Pennsylvania and New York City. He attended George School, a private boarding school outside Philadelphia, where he played football, basketball, lacrosse, and track and field. He suffered from undiagnosed dyslexia, which caused low grades and friction with his parents, both of whom had PhDs in education. Theo Huxtable, Bill Cosby's TV son on The Cosby Show, was based on Ennis, and this was reflected in storylines with Theo struggling in school until he was diagnosed with dyslexia. It was also written into the script that Cosby's character, Cliff Huxtable, had been wrong in blaming Theo for his poor grades; this mirrored Cosby's real life, as he had felt guilty for thinking Ennis had struggled academically because of a character flaw.
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