Loleini Tonga, Chris Henry's Fiancee, at Center of Storm; Homicide Detectives Look into NFL Death

By: Carlin DeGuerin Miller
Topics: Daily Blotter

(AP Photo/The Enquirer, Jeff Swinger)

(AP Photo/Barry D. Scheffel)

(AP Photo/Amy Sancetta, File)

(MySpace)

CHARLOTTE,NC (CBS/AP) After a history of troubles with the law, in recent days NFL star Chris Henry seemed to be coming back from the personal and professional brink. He credited much of his success to his fianc?e Loleini Tonga. But that relationship now seems to be at the center of the athlete's death.

Photo: Cincinnati Bengals Chris Henry with fianc?e Loleini Tonga, and kids: DeMarcus, 10 months, Seini, 3, and Chris Jr., 2, Sept 15, 2009.

PICTURES: Chris Henry Remembered

Henry passed away Thursday from injuries he sustained after he fell from the back of a moving truck. Police have said Tonga was driving the vehicle after a "domestic dispute" between the two.

Photo: Chris Henry with his then-girlfriend Loleini Tonga and one of their three children at Bengals training camp.

PICTURES: Chris Henry Remembered

Now, homocide detectives have been assigned to the case, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police spokesperson Rosalyn Harrington.

Police say that Henry was rushed to the hospital Dec. 16 after being found on a residential road near Charlotte. Police said the dispute began at a home about a half-mile away, and that Henry jumped into the bed of the pickup truck as Tonga was driving away from the residence.

Photo: Chris Henry.

PICTURES: Chris Henry Remembered

Police said at some point when she was driving, Henry "came out of the back of the vehicle." Police have not released the 911 tapes, and Harrington wouldn't say if Tonga was present at the scene when police arrived.

They have not released the cause of death and the coroner said they are expecting to receive the body later today.

Henry is engaged to Tonga, and the couple has been raising three children. On Tonga's MySpace page she identifies herself as "Mrs. C. Henry" and has a picture of her next to a person who appears to be Henry.

MySpace Photo: Loleini Tonga seen with Chris Henry.

PICTURES: Chris Henry Remembered

She also has a post from Dec. 15 talking about buying wedding rings. A neighbor said Wednesday that the Tonga family owns the home where police say the incident began. Tonga's parents live in Charlotte.

Henry was labeled a problem child after multiple run ins with referees and police alike throughout his football career but had recently found a new lease on his professional life after the Cincinatti Begals decided to give him a second chance. He was on leave from the team after a season-ending injury when he died.

In an interview with the Associated Press just after returning to the locker room for the first time since surgery to fix a fracture, Henry sounded confident he could get through the latest setback.

"It just comes with time, you know?" he said. "I learned to handle all situations, so I'll be all right."

MORE ON CRIMESIDER
December 17, 2009 - Chris Henry Dead: NFL Star Thrown From Truck During Dispute with Fiancee Loleini Tonga, Say Cops

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by neffie1985 December 20, 2009 6:53 PM EST: Well, u jocks can blame his fiance all u want, but Henry's dead because Henry was stupid. Henry had a lucrative NFL contract. He was on a playoff caliber team. He was on injured reserve and should have been resting and recuperating. But instead he's jumping into a moving truck and ends up getting killed. Now that's 1 of 2 things: stupidity or suicidal. Take ur pick he's dead and has only 1 person to blame...himself !!!!; Reply to this comment


by mmmjjj1978 December 20, 2009 2:25 AM EST: Such a sad story. I do agree with some of you, Loleini should have stopped. It is almost like all bets are off when you do something so dangerous. Trust me, my fiance and I have our tiffs. But, if he were doing something in the midst of that fight that could harm him I am going to rush to help him. I think this case is alot deeper than the media is reporting. Perhaps, Chris broke the engagement off. He expressed concerns about the cost and it is known they had domestic issues in the past. Perhaps, she got so upset, mad, and frustrated she snapped (like the women on the WE show Snapped). Just a thought. It is also possible she was trying to flee, but whatever happend it is sad. Chris Henry had babies who love and need him in their lives. Now, there are babies who have to bring their Christmas and New Years fatherless. So sad!; Reply to this comment


by erb0087 December 20, 2009 1:34 AM EST: Loleini Tonga will still be around for her kids.

Unlike Nicole Brown Simpson.; Reply to this comment


by erb0087 December 20, 2009 1:30 AM EST: One thing after another.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Henry_(wide_receiver)#Off-the-field_problems; Reply to this comment


by erb0087 December 20, 2009 1:27 AM EST: Chris Henry was a one-man crime wave.

"Chris Henry Released From Jail

4/04/2008

After spending two nights in jail, Chris Henry is now home. The now former Cincinnati Bengal posted bond after his court appearance yesterday but had to wait until business hours began today to be fitted with an ankle monitoring system.

Police want to make sure Henry does not go near the University of Cincinnati student he is accused of punching. Henry pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges of assault and criminal damaging.

Police say Henry smashed Gregory Meyer's car window with a bottle, then punched the 18-year-old in the head.

Investigators say Meyer did not know the name of the person who allegedly attacked him, but identified Henry from two different lineups.

Henry was taken from the jail to a special office to be fitted with the bracelet just before 10. He was then released from custody."

http://www.local12.com/content/breaking_news/story/Chris-Henry-Released-From-Jail/-lMnchJSSUeO21VOXz0Wew.cspx; Reply to this comment

by jjenki2 December 19, 2009 7:28 AM EST

Go to jail, go directly to jail, do not pass go, do not collect a life insurance policy go straight to jail. This is open and shut. She was driving, he pulled some crazy stunt and placed himself into the bed of the truck. She knows that he did indeed possess the ability to become volatile and unpredictable. She knows that better than all of us. If he was doing something to place his life into jeopardy then she should have done the responsible thing and slowed or stopped the vehicle. Why was she moving so fast that he would've injured himself when he fell from the vehicle. This is your fiancee!!!
I would like to think that ejection from a vehicle does not occur between 5-20 mph. When you love a person, even if they are volatile, you always find yourself looking out for them even when they are not looking out for themselves.
Yes, we are all human. But the bottom line is that she knew what type of guy she was dealing with, and she remained; either for love or for the children or a combination. Nothing that she did was responsible.
In the event that there was domestic violence, then she should've gotten away from him but not kill him in the process. He didn't deserve that; only a few domestic violence abusers deserve to die.

Women like her kill me!!! They find a guy earning a great income, they use their looks and their UTERUS in order to secure some of that income for themselves, then they proclaim themselves his wife or force the guy to marry them, only to turn into a high demanding monster behind closed doors. The whole thing all ends tragically. Instead of wedding plans, counseling should have been a priority. You were getting married to a guy with a troubled past. The both of them needed counseling in order to free some of those issues surrounding the relationship. No relationship is perfect, it takes a lot of work; some need more work than others. In the end it is all simply a trajic end.
I say this because I was in a volatile relationship. My boyfriend was hurting inside from issues that dated back to this childhood. As an adult, it made him a very, very volatile person. Not abusive at all, and a great person deep down inside, but volatile on the surface. Before things ended tragically, I determined that I must go, so I left.

Reply to this comment


by cidaia December 19, 2009 10:35 AM EST: Funny how on the one hand, you condemn her for not leaving - then on the other hand, you condemn her for trying to get away. And how you feel perfectly free to look down your nose at her for doing things you yourself claim to have done (getting involved in bad relationships - btw how do you know what her motives were for staying with this guy?)

But it's not "open and shut" - she might very well have a strong case for self-defense.

You overstate her responsibility (morally and legally) when you suggest that that a woman has some sort of obligation to play the mommy to an out-of-control child-man. She had every reason to be thinking of her own well-being and not his if he was threatening her. She's not obligated to stop and let him hurt her just because if she doesn't stop he might get hurt himself.

The case will ultimately be decided on the details of what, exactly, he did, and what, exactly, she did. If she had reason to fear him, and exactly what made him fall off the truck, are probably going to be the key to determining what, if anything, she is guilty of.


by ruth1997 December 29, 2009 7:37 PM EST: She's wrong and now Chris is forever gone because of her

by national1942 December 18, 2009 3:25 PM EST

It was an ACCIDENT, for crying out loud. Why are the police going after the fiancee? A tragic accident, to be sure, but SHE didn't PUT him in the back of the truck, HE did. How would you feel if you had an argument with your spouse and he ended up dead as a result?? This will haunt her for the rest of her life and I truly feel sorry for her and don't see the legitimacy of the police hanging around her forever asking questions, beyond getting a good picture of how this tragedy happened. You have to know that she didn't mean for him to die, it was just an argument. We all have them in our relationships. He himself would never have jumped into the back of that truck if he had known he was going to die from it. Those children need their mother right now. It's going to be hard enough on them that they've lost their father. I just wish they had been married. She would have stood to receive a great deal in financial help, for raising the kids alone, that she may not get now. Take a lesson, those of you living together without the proper paperwork. It COULD be you. Make SURE your family is protected. Hopefully, he left a will naming her and the children as beneficiaries. My prayers are with her and the kids.

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by cidaia December 19, 2009 10:38 AM EST: They have to establish exactly what happened. Besides, whether she intended to or not is not the only thing that matters in determining whether she is guilty of criminal behavior.


by jwesel1 December 19, 2009 5:49 PM EST: She kept on driving despite knowing that there is a person in the truck bed and could fall off the truck anytime.


by mommybarber2 December 18, 2009 2:54 PM EST: Very nit picky. We are all human and make mistakes. I had obsessive compulsive people that always think they can do better than others. Deal with the mistake you apparently knew what it was meant to say. I think CBS does a good job considering all the news they put up. I would like to read more on his fiancee and her role with this incident.; Reply to this comment


by hsb52070 December 17, 2009 6:28 PM EST: I'm being nit picky I admit however, homicide is spelled with only one "o" and Chris isn't engaged to anyone now that he is deceased. So the sentence that states, "Henry is engaged..." should read, "Henry was engaged..."

Thank you.; Reply to this comment