Julia Anderson's father and uncle remember the daughter killed in the Bronx

Julia Anderson was many things to many people — a caregiver of 17 years to developmentally disabled adults, a Pentecostal churchgoer, an online fashion designer, and, under the stage name Jewelz Champaign, a rapper who once shared a stage and studio time with hip-hop icon Jadakiss. On July 13, 2026, the 39-year-old Mount Vernon native was shot and killed in the Bronx, in what police say was a dispute over a shared family home.

Her uncle, 58-year-old Michael Foster, has been charged with her murder over a bitter squabble regarding a family home in the Westchester County city, law enforcement sources have said.

In an exclusive interview, Caribbean National Weekly spoke with Julia's Jamaican-born father, Julius Anderson, and her uncle, Henry Anderson, who wanted the world to know Julia beyond the headlines.

"A Happy-Go-Lucky Daughter"

Ask Julius Anderson to describe his daughter, and one phrase comes up again and again — happy-go-lucky.

"She's a happy-go-lucky person," Julius said. "Julia just liked to have fun and enjoy herself — and people gravitate to that. She was my beautiful daughter, my first. She made me smile all the time."

That warmth, he said, followed her everywhere. "Anywhere she go, she knew how to carry herself."

Her uncle Henry Anderson, a retired Con Ed employee, remembered a moment that captured Julia's presence perfectly — at the wake for Julia's grandfather.

"She came to the wake with six-inch heels on. Mind you, she's six feet two inches tall with six-inch heels, and she just powered over everybody," Henry said.

Even in grief, he said, she carried her spirit with her. "Like her father said, she was a very happy person. She was always smiling."

Born and Raised in Mount Vernon

Julia was born at Mount Vernon Hospital in New York, one of two daughters — she and her younger sister grew up together, close in age and later living under the same roof. Their parents separated when Julia was around 12 years old, and from there she split her time between her father and her mother's side of the family, where her maternal grandmother played an important role.

"She's actually her grandma's first real grandchild," Julius explained. "Grandma grew them like they were her own kids... it's like, it's my children, but it's her children too."

That bond, he said, went back to the very beginning.

"Granny was there when she was born — when her mother went into labor and went to the hospital, granny helped deliver her." He paused on that thought. "So the bond was built from birth, literally."

Even though the day-to-day of Julia's upbringing leaned toward her mother's family, Julius said he stayed present.

"I picked them up from school, checked on them all the time. I made sure I supported them."