Different stories, same message: Stop senseless killings

Vigil held at Memorial Park on National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Monday was a somber day for many people across the nation, including in Jacksonville, as families and friends mourned the victims of murders.

On the National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims, about 100 people gathered at Memorial Park in Riverside for a candlelight vigil. 

Everyone who attended had a different story to tell. But every story involved a family member or friend who died a senseless death. 

Each one of the candles represented a life violently taken. For Angelica Hogan and her family, the candle represented her 21-year-old son, Richard Green, who was shot to death in July -- just one week after writing a song about senseless violence. 

"Ever since the murder of my son, I stopped watching the news because, every day, there appears to be not just one, but several murders," Hogan said.

Angie McKenzie attended because she lost her father to violence. 

"He was beaten and shot to death," she said. 

May Martinez said she went to the vigil to remember her daughter, who was killed and dismembered by three people in Tennessee. 

"It's a horrible thing to go through and deal with for the rest of your life," Martinez said. "I've been doing it now for 22 years, and I'm still fighting for my daughter."

IMAGES: National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims in Jacksonville

And then there’s Fran Futrill. She was there to remember her 35-year-old daughter who was killed in her bed while her children were in the house.

“It’s been hell for 15 years as we wait to get the person who killed my child," Futrill said.

Though there were countless candles, pictures and memories, there was one unified message from everyone who attended: Stop senseless killings.

"Let's come together and stop killing one another," said Joseph Hogan, who lost a family member to violence. 


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