CINCINNATI — Three years after a homicide in Over-the-Rhine, a family finally has some answers.

Eric Johnson, 23, was charged Monday for his alleged involvement in the death of 21-year-old Thomas Maul Jr. in 2018.

Maul’s family said they never gave up hope; they knew justice would come.

“I just miss him,” Thomas Maul Jr.’s aunt, Eunice Maul, said. ”We fought really hard. I want to thank that detective.”

Police believe Johnson was the man who pulled the trigger, killing Maul in the courtyard of the apartment complex in the 200 block of East Clifton Avenue a little over three years ago.

“It still hurts. It hurts,” Eunice said. “We’re happy in our hearts that it happened. That they caught him. He’s behind bars. He’s no longer out here living his best life when my nephew isn’t.”

For Maul’s father, Thomas Sr., the arrest doesn’t bring closure – instead he chooses to focus on the son he loved.

“Thomas was a wonderful kid,” he said. “Always playing little jokes on everyone. Kept everyone with a smile on their face. He had one of the best smiles you’ve ever seen. He was a very helpful child. Helpful son."

The family held pictures of Thomas Maul Jr. close to their hearts so they would never forget him.

“We were brought up to stick together as brothers and sisters,” Thomas Sr. said. “That’s how our mom and dad raised us. We just miss him. We never stopped fighting for him."

In 2019, the family offered a $10,000 reward for information that would lead to the arrest and conviction of the person who shot Thomas Maul Jr.

Johnson is currently being held in the Hamilton County Jail and is awaiting his first court appearance.