Blade photo // Lori King
Blade photographer Lori King was at a vigil Wednesday night -- while I was at the vigil for Darnell Townsend-Tall -- where family and friends of Katie Sheppard mourned the young woman's death.
Katie, 29, was strangled -- allegedly by her husband, Kyle Sheppard, 29.
Kyle fled to Canada after the assault and turned himself in to authorities there. He is awaiting extradition back to Ohio.
You can see a gallery of photos from the vigil at toledoblade.com.
I meant to do this post almost a week ago, so I apologize for not being more timely ...
Last Wednesday was the one-year anniversary of Darnell Townsend-Tall's death. His younger sister, Devona Townsend, along with friends and family, met at Gunkel Park -- at City Park and Nebraska -- for a vigil to mourn and remember the death and life of Tall, who would have turned 37 this year.
Devona had 37 white and black balloons at the vigil, which were to be released after she and her uncle, Richard Hughes, said a few words. (Some of the balloons were accidentally let go or slipped out of the holder's grasp beforehand.)
"For me and my family, it's been really rough, and we just been taking it one day at a time," Devona said.
Darnell was shot (twice in the head and once in the arm) and killed during an attempted robbery at his home on East Weber in North Toledo on Nov. 7, 2011. Three men -- Kurt Finley, Reynard Lewis, and Darrick E. Newsome -- have been charged in the death.
BLOG: On the scene: North Toledo homicide
Finley, Lewis, and Newsome have also been charged in the Nov. 11 death of Raynail Gaiter, who was shot inside his Ravine Park Village apartment in East Toledo. Three others, Samojay Edwards, Quandre Willingham, and Kevin Arnold, are charged in Gaiter's death.
For Darnell's death, Lewis and Newsome are scheduled to go to trial on Nov. 26; Finley, who was found guilty in March of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated robbery, both with gun specifications, is to be sentenced on Nov. 27.
When Darnell was killed, he left behind five children -- ages 10 to 15.
"They doing the best they can in light of the fact they lost their grandmother a year before, then turning around and their father getting murdered. So it's been a big lifestyle change for them," Devona said.
The children are living with their respective mothers, she said, although the entire family is taking an active role in helping the children adjust and cope.
"Lately the smaller ones are inquiring [about Darnell's death], really wanting to know what happened to their father. The older ones know. The younger ones have been shielded away from it," Devona said.
" ... It's a family effort. Everybody is helping them deal with this situation," Devona said.
Devona said a member of the family has been in court for each of the proceedings, and they will continue to do so.
She doesn't hate the men accused of killing her brother -- her best friend.
Because they're so young, "it's like looking at your kids," she said.
"We just really want it to be all over with," she said of the trial. "We really is waiting for them to be sentenced and the trial to be over with and then we can move on with our lives. We dont' want revenge. I don't hate them. I can't feel hate for them with I go to court because they're kids. We don't have a hateful bone in our body -- we weren't raised that way.
"Hate is a strong emotion. My brother is a product of our environment and a victim of violence. You never think about it until it touches close to home. It's real deep."
Before the vigil -- and again during -- Devona said the vigil was not only to help their family heal, but to offer support to others who are grieving and hope for the rest of the community that violence in Toledo ends.
"With Toledo ... having so many murders and so many people losing so may family members ... it's about somebody losing somebody. Every time I hear about somebody losing a child or a family member, I feel the pain for them."
On ending violence in Toledo, Devona said:
"I think that in order for violence to stop in the city, parents are going to have to take their children back, regardless if they're over 18. You k now, it's a lot of kids that hasn't been raised with the right moral system. People are letting their children go and it ain't what you doing, it's how you doing it. At the end of the day, I feel like, it's kids with guns killing each other. Killing, killing, killing, and killing is not the answer, because everybody becomes a victim of one crime. Our family has been victimized as well as their family [the suspects' families]. The mothers of those families lose their sons to the system. That's why I can't have hate in my heart. I don't like the situation, but, at the end of the day, I can't bring Darnell back."
