It was just past midnight on September 14, 2003. Most of the world knew the Williams name for dominance on grass and clay, for power serves and trophies. But in a suburban stretch of Compton, California, the name belonged to a family that was about to be shattered. Yetunde Price, the eldest of the five sisters and the woman Serena Williams called her "rock," was sitting in a white SUV with her boyfriend.
Seconds later, gunfire erupted.
When people search for the serena williams sister that died, they’re often looking for a name to attach to a tragedy they vaguely remember from the news. That name is Yetunde Price. She wasn't a tennis pro. She was a registered nurse, a business owner, and a mother of three. Her death wasn’t just a headline; it was a pivot point that changed the trajectory of the most famous family in sports.
The Night Everything Changed in Compton
Yetunde was 31. She was successful in her own right, running a hair salon and working as a nurse, though she also spent plenty of time acting as a personal assistant to her superstar sisters. That night, she was in a vehicle with her boyfriend, Rolland Wormley, near a house that—unbeknownst to them—was being guarded by gang members.
The shooters later claimed they were "defending" the spot from rivals. They opened fire on the SUV. Yetunde was struck in the back of the head. In a chaotic, tragic series of events, Wormley drove her to a relative’s house before calling 911, not initially realizing the gravity of the wound. She was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.
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It was senseless. It was "wrong place, wrong time" in its most devastating form.
Who Was Yetunde Price?
To understand why this hit Serena and Venus so hard, you have to look at the family dynamic. Yetunde was the oldest. She was the one who changed diapers. While Richard Williams was focused on building tennis champions, Yetunde was often the quiet engine in the background keeping the sisters grounded.
- Profession: She was a Registered Nurse (RN).
- Business: She owned a beauty salon in the Los Angeles area.
- Family Role: Mother to three children (Jeffrey, Justus, and Jair).
- The "Nucleus": The family issued a statement calling her their "nucleus and our rock."
Serena has been open about the fact that Yetunde was the sister who stayed out of the spotlight but held everyone together. Honestly, the way Serena talks about her, it’s clear Yetunde was the person she went to when the pressure of being "Serena Williams" became too much.
The Legal Aftermath and the "No Contest" Plea
The justice system took its sweet time. It took three trials to get a conviction. The first two ended in mistrials because the juries just couldn't agree. Finally, in 2006, Robert Edward Maxfield, a member of the South Side Compton Crips, pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter.
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He was sentenced to 15 years.
In a weird twist of fate, Maxfield was released on parole in 2018 for good behavior. Serena actually found out about his release just minutes before a match in San Jose. She lost that match 6-1, 6-0—the worst defeat of her career. She later admitted she couldn't shake the thought of her sister's killer being free while her sister was gone. It’s a reminder that even for the "GOAT," some wounds never really close.
How the Williams Family Transformed Grief into Action
Most people would want to run away from the place where their sister was murdered. The Williams family did the opposite. In 2016, they went back to Compton to open the Yetunde Price Resource Center (YPRC).
They didn't want a statue; they wanted a solution.
The center doesn't just put a Band-Aid on things. It works with people who have experienced "direct or indirect" violence. They help with everything from mental health counseling to finding housing. It’s a holistic approach to trauma that acknowledges how one act of violence, like the one that killed Yetunde, creates a ripple effect through an entire community.
The Impact of "King Richard"
If you saw the movie King Richard, you saw a young Yetunde (played by Mikayla LaShae Bartholomew). Serena said she cried through the whole film because of it. Seeing her sister "alive" on screen again was a gut punch. The movie ends before the shooting happens, which was a deliberate choice. It focused on her life, not just the way she died.
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Why We Still Talk About the Serena Williams Sister That Died
The reason this story stays in the public consciousness isn't just because of the celebrity connection. It’s because Yetunde Price represents a reality for many families in America. She was a woman who did everything "right"—she had a career, she took care of her kids, she supported her family—and she was still taken by a random act of street violence.
For Serena, the loss of Yetunde is woven into her legacy. It’s in the way she carries herself and the way she advocates for her community. You can’t talk about Serena’s toughness without talking about what she’s survived off the court.
Actionable Insights for Moving Forward
If you're looking for ways to honor a legacy or deal with similar community issues, here is what the Williams family's journey teaches us:
- Acknowledge the Trauma: Healing isn't linear. Serena's reaction to the 2018 parole release shows that grief can resurface at any time. Don't rush the process.
- Community-Led Solutions: The YPRC works because it's in Compton, run by people who understand Compton. If you want to help, look for local "trauma-informed" organizations.
- Support the "Left Behind": Yetunde left behind three children. The Williams family stepped up to ensure those kids were supported. When tragedy strikes, the immediate focus is on the victim, but the long-term work is supporting the survivors.
- Legacy Through Service: Instead of just remembering the date of death, the family celebrates Yetunde through the work of the center.
The story of the serena williams sister that died is ultimately a story about a family that refused to let a tragedy be the final word. They took the "rock" that was Yetunde and built a foundation for others to heal.
Next Steps for Readers:
- Visit the Yetunde Price Resource Center website to learn about their trauma-informed programs.
- Support local violence prevention initiatives in your own city that focus on holistic family healing.
- Watch the documentary footage or interviews where Venus and Serena discuss their sister to understand the human side of the "Williams Sisters" legend.