In Memory of and Justice for Jeff

Hello. We are Tom Brennan and Eric Rabbanian. We created this page to ask for your help.

On the morning of November 11, 2023 our family member and friend Jeff Hewett was expected to return from Medellín, Colombia to his home in Austin, Texas. Within hours of missing his flight, we learned they found Jeff in his hotel room, lying dead in a pool of blood. He was the apparent victim of a robbery gone bad, with his personal valuables (laptop, tablet, phone and credit cards) all missing. Hours after that, transactions were attempted on his credit card.

Jeff’s stabbing was a brutally cruel and senseless crime. Jeff was an easy-going, wry, kind spirit with an uncanny ability to tease you and make you laugh about it out loud. He loved sports, especially his beloved Longhorns for whom he had served as a trainer, as well as hanging out with friends at tailgates, bars and homes. He is survived by his mother Judi, father Bill, sister Michelle, stepmother Lydia and stepsister Katie.

So many of you from Jeff’s work and travels have shared your heart-warming stories about him, how he joked with you and how he made your lives a little brighter for having known him. Jeff would be truly moved by the love and gratitude so many of you have expressed.

We come to you for your support in honoring his memory and in seeking justice for Jeff.

To support and pressure the Colombian police and attorney general to capture and prosecute Jeff’s murderer, Jeff’s family is effectively required to hire a lawyer in Colombia to represent them. In the absence of this representation, given the overtaxed criminal justice system in Colombia, the interests of the family can easily be forgotten.

Also, the effort to get Jeff back home was incredibly lengthy, time consuming, and expensive. We are thankful that we were able to return him to Texas so that he was surrounded by love, family, and friends when he was buried November 29th in the family cemetery near Shiner, Texas where he Rests in Peace.

Finally, his family is considering ways in which to honor the bright light that was Jeff’s life.

So many of you have asked how you can help. Any donation you make will help relieve his family and friends of some of the stress and costs of seeking justice for his killer, repatriating his body to lay him to rest, and specifically honoring his memory in the future. Thank you for all the support.