CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Victims of violent crimes in Kanawha County were remembered by family, friends, and officials on Thursday.
An Angel Tree Lighting Ceremony took place at the Kanawha County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, where family members wrote names of loved ones on paper angels and placed them on a Christmas tree.
“My office deals with violent crime on a regular basis. It’s important that the victims of these crimes, the family members who survived, that they know that my office cares about them. This is one small way that we remember their loved ones,” Chuck Miller, Kanawha County Prosecuting Attorney told 580-WCHS.
Around 115 angels were placed on the tree before it was lit by Miller. Family members came up one-by-one to write a victim’s name down and place the angel while Christmas music was sung.
Cassie Patton of Clendenin, the daughter-in-law of shooting victim Jeanie Patton told 580-WCHS that the holidays are tough are her family and anyone who has lost a loved one.
“It’s really hard on all the family. Her mother has now passed so we try to keep the tradition going of her life and remembering her,” Patton said.
“Her son and I have three small children. We talk about her daily and this helps to show that we still care and we want to remember her.”
Jeanie Patton was shot and killed in 2003 as part of the Kanawha County sniper case. Cassie Patton remembered her mother-in-law on Thursday.
“She (Jeanie) was bubbly, fun and outgoing. Her main goal all the time was to make everybody laugh and she always had a smile on her face,” she told 580-WCHS.
Miller opened the ceremony with words followed by Kanawha County Circuit Judge Tera Salango. The judge spoke about losing her brother in 1993 to violent crime and how that has affected her life.
Autumn Gillispie, a student at George Washington High School, sang a somber song called Dancing in the Sky by Dani & Lizzi that brought many people to tears inside the building.
South Charleston Police Officer Andrew Gordon read a poem by Meghan Aldridge, the mother of 2015 murder victim Gavin Aldridge, who was only 2-years old.
“I’m not sure we can ever eliminate the pain they suffer from the loss of a loved one,” Miller said.
“We try to do these things to at least contribute to their closure.”