Malik Sims, 23, is remembered as a loving person who was open-minded, funny, warm and deeply loyal.
(Courtesy photo)
The mother of a slain Bloomington man describes him as a loving person who will be remembered for the care he gave to others.
Kelley Williams said she is heartbroken by the loss of her son, 23-year-old Malik Sims, who she said she had a special bond with.
She called her son happy, open-minded, funny and warm, and deeply loyal.
“He had a heart of gold,” Williams said. “That was my son. We related like no other. I always say he was the male version of me … it was his heart; that’s what made him special.”
(Courtesy photo)
Williams recalls Sims had a tattoo on his arm that read, “loyalty before royalty.” She said that saying represented the kind of person he was and that sometimes, his loyalty worked against him.
“Not everybody that you’re loyal to is loyal to you — but he’s just that type of person,” she said. “To know him was to love him. He was the same way. If he knew people, he would show that love all the time. It was never different; he was never a different person. This consistency is what I always respected about him.”
Sims was the oldest of Williams’ children. Williams is a Chicago native and currently lives in Gary but said Sims was raised in Bloomington, which his life revolved around. Sims went to Batchelor Middle School and Bloomington High School South.
Williams said her son had also studied at Ivy Tech Community College. He worked for Indiana University and for the Mentor Network, which provides service to adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities and medically complex needs.
She added he had planned to go back to school — but that’s impossible now.
It was because of Sims’ caring heart and how much others loved him in return that people took action when they stopped hearing from him, Williams said.
New information reveals a friend of Sims found his body along a road in rural Owen County on July 15. That friend hadn’t heard from Sims for several days and decided to look for him at his last known location.
Sims and the friend shared their phone locations with each other, and the friend was able to find him using “Find My iPhone” software, according to investigators.
It came as no surprise to Williams that others showed so much concern for her son, but she said she feels enraged his killer thought they could get away with the crime.
“It’s not settling with me that somebody would think they could get away with doing something like this to my child,” Williams said. “It’s like he was invisible; like nobody would notice … Why would you think that? Why would you think nobody loves him, somebody that’s so lovable, somebody that would do anything for somebody?”
Police allege Quentin Porter, Jr., 25, of Bloomington, shot Sims to death, stole his car and tried to hide the crime by cleaning the blood from inside the vehicle. Sims was found with a black plastic bag pulled over his head.
Quentin Porter, Jr. is accused of fatally shooting Sims and stealing his car. (Courtesy, Owen County Sheriff's Office)
Officers arrested Porter after Sims’ car was found parked outside the home of Porter’s grandmother on Indianapolis’ northeast side.
Porter is charged with murder and theft of a motor vehicle. He is being held at Owen County Jail without bond ahead of a Jan. 21, 2025 jury trial, online court records show.
Williams said Porter is a stranger to her — but one of her other children remembered him from when Sims participated in the local Boys and Girls Club as a child.
“That’s what I mean about the loyalty part,” Williams said. “To now think that somebody who grew up with my son, to know Malik the way he is, how could you? How could you do something like this?”
Court documents provide no insight into Porter’s alleged motive, but Williams suspects her son’s killing may have been a result of a robbery.
“They found Malik with no shoes on, his car was gone, he didn’t have any money, any wallet, anything,” she said. “It had to be something based on monetary or physical things. But you took a person. Why not take that stuff without having to kill him? That’s what is so hard for me to wrap my head around. Why did he have to take my baby for this?”
Despite all the anger and other difficult, negative emotions, Williams said she felt relief upon hearing police had made an arrest. She specifically thanked Owen County Sheriff Ryan White, who she said personally ensured her he would work tirelessly to see the investigation through.
“From the beginning, everybody wanted to paint a negative picture of the police because they didn't say anything, or they were not telling you anything — but police don't tell when they have a case,” Williams said. “If they tell everything, then they won't have a case. I knew in my heart when he told me that he was going to see it through.”
Williams said she appreciates law enforcement officials’ diligence in their investigation. The Owen County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by Bloomington and Indianapolis Metropolitan police.
A memorial will be held for Sims from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at The Warehouse at 1525 S. Rogers St.
Williams said she is grateful for all the support others have shown during this extremely difficult time in her life.
“At his memorial, we plan on giving tokens of appreciation back to people,” she said. “With every little detail that makes it difficult during this time, there’s been somebody there to make it easier. I appreciate it, our family appreciates it, from the bottom of my heart — from our hearts — because it’s so difficult to find a happy place right now. But that’s one of them.”
