The National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims is only a month away. This year the event will take place on Saturday, September 25, 2010 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. This important day is a partnership between the Maryland Crime Victim Resource Center (MCVRC), Parents of Murdered Children (POMC) and the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC).
According to the MCVRC, “The event honors the lives of those taken by violence; publicly recognizes the impact of homicide on their surviving family members and friends; and pays tribute to those organizations that work with and provide services to survivors of homicide victims.”
There are scholarships available for travel costs. You can find out more about those on the Parents of Murdered Children’s website.
SCHEDULE:
1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. – “Supporting Survivors: A Forum for Discussion” – This portion of the day will focus on exploring issues that survivors face and helping to meet their needs.
5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. – CEREMONY – This will highlight the unveiling of the “Murder Wall” to honor victims’ memories. This is an exhibit provided by POMC, and will have thousands of victims’ names inscribed in the wall.
Kanika Powell’s case is a mystery to detectives in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Sunday marked the two year anniversary since her murder. I met Kanika’s mother, Judy Forrest, last year at the National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims in Washington, D.C. Judy continues to stand tall and is full of faith that the person who took her daughter’s life will be caught, and I share that faith with her.
Kanika graduated from Largo High School in 1998, and enlisted in the Army two years later. She served in Korea, and returned to her home in Prince George’s County after her tour. She then took on a job as a security contractor at Hopkins laboratory. Kanika was very private about the work she did for the laboratory, and wouldsometimes travel for days at a time to handle a work project before returning. Although Judy says she always knew where her daughter was going, Kanika’s family and friends were aware that she was not allowed to discuss what she did when she got there.
Karen and Karissa Lofton (top) Delores and Ebony Dewitt (bottom)
This is a case that caught my interest from the start, and one that’s been on my mind ever since. Two mothers and two daughters murdered in the same neighborhood in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The murders occurred within weeks of one another, and now investigators believe they may have the man responsible behind bars.
This Upper Marlboro, Maryland neighborhood isn’t far from one of my homes, and is just miles outside of Washington, D.C. I always thought the cases were connected in some way, even though authorities, specifically an FBI profiler, said early on it appeared they were not. Another thing that caught my attention was the fact that more than 40 burglaries occurred from 2008 up until the murders in the same neighborhood. The evidence wasn’t adding up, and now we have a little more information about the person who may be responsible even though we don’t know his name yet. Prince George’s County Police Chief Robert Hylton said he is positive the man responsible for the murders is behind bars and is about to be indicted, and he may go down in history as one of the most dangerous and notorious criminals in the county’s history.
The Natalee Holloway Resource Center is now open and ready to assist families who have missing loved ones. The goal is to make the search easier within the first 48 hours, and to be a top notch center that offers information to educate the public on cases and what to do if someone they know goes missing. According to their official site, “The NHRC focuses educational programs, including a traveling safe program, crime prevention and encourages careers in the fields of forensic science and law enforcement. The NHRC also provides families of missing persons with an action plan, missing poster templates, contacts, resources and handles press releases and media outreach.”
The center opened its doors in the heart of Washington, D.C. on the same day Joran Van Der Sloot, the man who may be responsible for Natalee’s disappearance in 2005, confessed to killing a 21-year-old woman in Peru.
Beth Holloway, Natalee’s mom, said, “The Natalee Holloway Resource Center, the main focus is education and crime prevention in the event a loved one goes missing. The resource center can be the family’s first stop for contact information, missing person poster development, and media engagement.”
Montgomery County Police announced a big break in the high school principal murder that rocked the D.C. – Maryland border. Police Chief J. Thomas Manger says Alante Saunders and Sharif Tau Lancaster, both 18, met principal Brian Betts on a phone sex line and targeted him as a victim. The teens are facing murder, robbery and a handgun violation charge. A third teen will most likely face the same charges as well.
Chief Manger says Saunders broke out of custody in D.C. at a youth rehabilitation services home, and the motive in this case appears to be robbery. Physical evidence along with surveillance tape of the teens, and the mother ofone of the teens using Brian’s credit cards, is what gave them enough probable cause to make an arrest and bring down charges. Artura Otey Williams, 42, was charged with credit card theft.
At this point, the weapon used to kill Brian Betts has not been located.
A high school principal brought in to change lives at Shaw Middle School in Washington, D.C. was found brutally murdered inside his Maryland home. Investigators are still piecing together the crime and trying to figure out what happened to Brian Betts during his final hours.
The murder was discovered last week when Brian didn’t show up for work. A co-worker drove out to Brian’s Silver Spring, Maryland home where the colleague found a light on in the bathroom. That is when police were notified. When they arrived on location, they discovered Brian’s body. An autopsy was performed and the official cause of death from the Medical Examiner’s office is ruled a homicide. Brian died of a gunshot wound.
Along with items missing from inside his home, police also noticed that Brian’s Nissan Xterra SUV was missing. That vehicle appeared last Friday, sometime between 12-noon and 3:00 p.m. about 14 miles away in Southeast. Fingerprints and evidence arebeing pulled from that vehicle.
Michelle Sigona is a crime fighting, victims advocate extraordinaire, but for Michelle -- the good fight doesn't stop there. In her spare time, she is a volunteer firefighter -- and now, she is tackling the issues and cases that mean the most to her....
The National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims is only a month away. This year the event will take place on Saturday, September 25, 2010 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. This important day is a partnership between the Maryland Crime Victim Resource Center (MCVRC), Parents of Murdered Children (POMC) and the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC).
SCHEDULE:
