Ennis Cosby was fatally shot by Mikhail Markhasev during an attempted robbery when he pulled over to the side of a Los Angeles highway to fix a tire.

Ennis Cosby was not diagnosed with dyslexia until he was a college student. He resolved to assist future pupils with learning challenges.

Bill Cosby was regarded as one of America’s funniest men by the 1990s, despite subsequent controversies. Ennis Cosby, the famed comedian’s only kid, was shot and killed in Los Angeles while changing a tire.

Ennis, who portrayed Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show and supplied infinite material for his father’s jokes, had a flat tire in Los Angeles while on vacation. Mikhail Markhasev, 18, planned to rob him while he was changing the tire, but instead shot him.

The Cosby family blamed two things in the tragic aftermath of his death. They stated that, while Markhasev was responsible for the fatal shot that killed Ennis, the act was motivated by anti-American sentiment.

Ennis William Cosby, born on April 15, 1969, caught his father’s attention right away. Bill and Camille Cosby already had two girls, and Bill desperately wanted a son as their third child.

Bill, who was happy to have a son, used his interactions with Ennis frequently in his comic acts. Bill based his own son, Ennis Cosby, after Theo Huxtable when he co-created The Cosby Show, which aired from 1984 to 1992.

According to The Los Angeles Times, Bill portrayed Theo Huxtable as a failing student who overcame his learning problem by incorporating Ennis’ dyslexia issues into the curriculum.

That’s exactly how Ennis Cosby’s life played out. Cosby began attending specialized programs after being diagnosed with dyslexia. His academic performance was outstanding, and he went from Morehouse College in Atlanta to Teachers College at Columbia University in New York City.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Bill Cosby’s son hoped to earn a doctorate in special education with a focus on reading difficulties.

According to The Washington Post, in an essay, Ennis Cosby stated, “I believe in chances, so I do not give up on people or children.”

“I feel that if more teachers are aware of dyslexia and learning difficulties in the classroom, fewer pupils like myself will fall between the cracks,” the youngster continued.

Cosby inherited his father’s sense of humour, in addition to being attractive and athletic. Bill Cosby recently recalled a time when he promised Ennis his dream Corvette in exchange for higher grades. “Dad, what do you think about a Volkswagen?” Ennis asked, according to Bill.

Ennis Cosby’s life was tragically cut short when he was 27 years old.

In January 1997, Ennis Cosby travelled to Los Angeles to meet friends. However, on January 16, about one a.m., while driving his mother’s Mercedes SL convertible on Interstate 405, in the Bel Air district, he got a flat tire.

Cosby sought assistance from his girlfriend, Stephanie Crane. The woman who had parked in front of Cosby begged him to call a tow truck, but Ennis insisted on changing the tire himself. A man then approached the window while Crane was still in her car.

Mikhail Markhasev was his name. When Markhasev, an 18-year-old Ukrainian immigrant, and his buddies noticed Ennis and Crane’s cars, they were lurking at a neighboring park and ride lot. Markhasev is accused of approaching the cars while high with the intent to rob them.

He began by walking over to Crane’s automobile. Concerned, she drove away. After that, he confronted Ennis Cosby. Markhasev, on the other hand, shot him in the head when he delayed giving him his money for too long.

The news shook the Cosby family and the entire world. “He was my hero,” a tearful Bill Cosby told TV cameras. During this time, CNN was chastised for broadcasting video of Ennis Cosby’s body on the side of the road.

However, it took authorities some time and a critical lead to find Ennis Cosby’s killer. After the National Enquirer paid $100,000 for information on Ennis Cosby’s killing, Markhasev’s old friend Christopher contacted the police.

When the 18-year-old was apprehended in March, authorities discovered the pistol he had thrown away wrapped in a cap, along with DNA evidence linking it to Markhasev. He was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison in July 1998.

Despite the fact that the Cosby family did not issue a statement in response to Markhasev’s sentence, Ennis Cosby’s sister Erika spoke to the reporters as the family exited the courtroom. She was asked if she was relieved, and she said, “Yeah, finally,” according to The Washington Post.

However, Ennis Cosby’s death would leave his family with more than one open wound in the years to come.

After Mikhail Markhasev murdered Ennis Cosby, Cosby’s family struggled to come to terms with their grief. In a moving opinion piece published in USA Today in July 1998, Camille Ennis blamed her son’s death on racism in America.

“I believe America influenced our son’s killer’s prejudice towards black people,” she added. Markhasev’s hate of black people did not arise in his home Ukraine, where the black population was almost nonexistent.

Camille maintains that, regardless of economic or academic achievements, all African-Americans in America have been and continue to be at risk due of their skin tones. “Unfortunately, my family and I found that this is an American racial reality.”

The family’s anguish was compounded by Mikhail Markhasev’s refusal to take responsibility for Ennis Cosby’s murder. He denied firing the gun until 2001. Markhasev finally accepted his guilt and said that he would no longer challenge his sentence in February of the same year.

According to ABC, he remarked, “Although my appeal is just getting started, I don’t want to go any farther since it’s built on falsehood and deceit. I acknowledge my error and wish to apologize.”

Markhasev claimed he wanted to apologize to the victim’s family above all else. “It is both my responsibility and the least I can do as a Christian in light of the huge wickedness I am responsible for.”

In the years since Ennis Cosby’s death, Bill Cosby’s life has changed considerably. His star has fallen since the 1990s, when multiple women accused him of sexual abuse. Bill was convicted of aggravated indecent assault in 2018 and served his term until his conviction was reversed in 2021.

He appeared to be thinking about his son Ennis Cosby the entire time. As the comedian prepared to go on trial in 2017, he acknowledged all of his children in an Instagram post. “Ennis, Ensa, Erika, Erin, Camille, and Evin, I love you; keep fighting for Spirit,” he said.