FOR US TODAY. WOULD YOU PLEASE SHARE IT WITH THE JURY.
>> I LONG FOR THE DAY THAT I
WOULD GET TO SPEAK AT THIS
HEARING.
I WANT TO TELL THIS JURY WHAT
HAPPENED TO MY FAMILY AND THIS
COMMUNITY.
I WANT TO TELL YOU WHAT HAPPENED
TO MY ALISSA.
ON FEBRUARY 14, 2018, MY
14-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER WAS RIGHT
WHERE SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE, IN
HER HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH CLASS.
FOUR YEARS LATER, SHE SHE’S
SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN IN HER
SECOND YEAR OF COLLEGE.
SOON SHE WOULD GO ON TO BE A
PROFESSIONAL SOCCER PLAYER, SHE
WOULD GET HER LAW DEGREE AND
MAYBE BECOME ONE OF THE MOST
SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS NEGOTIATION
LAWYERS THE WORLD WOULD SEE.
SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO GET MARRIED
AND I WAS GOING TO HAVE MY
FATHER DAUGHTER DANCE.
SHE WOULD HAVE HAD A BEAUTIFUL
FAMILY.
FOUR KIDS.
LIVE IN A GORGEOUS HOUSE.
A BEACH HOUSE ON THE SIDE.
ALL THOSE PLANS CAME TO AN END
WITH ALISSA’S MURDER.
ALISSA’S MURDER IMPACTED SO MANY
PEOPLE IN SO MANY WAYS.
AFTER ALISSA’S DEATH, MY FATHER
WAS NEVER THE SAME.
HE PASSED AWAY A YEAR LATER.
MY ELDERLY MOTHER LOST HER
GRANDDAUGHTER, MY ELDERLY MOTHER
LOST HER GRANDDAUGHTER AND
STRUGGLES TO FIND HAPPINESS IN
HER LIFE.
THEN THERE’S MY FATHER-IN-LAW,
WHO ALWAYS SAID ALISSA COULD DO
NO WRONG.
THEY HAD A VERY SPECIAL BOND,
ONE THAT YOU LOVE TO SEE BETWEEN
GRANDPARENTS AND GRANDCHILDREN,
BUT THIS WAS BROKEN.
ONLY BY THIS MURDER.
AND IN THE TIME YOU START
TALKING ABOUT ALISSA THE GUY WHO
TYPICALLY MAKES ALL THE JOKES
GETS VERY UPSET AND HAS TO CHAIN
CHANGE THE SUBJECT.
MY MOTHER-IN-LAW ALSO HAD A
SPECIAL BOND WITH ALISSA.
NOT A DAY GOES BY THAT SHE
DOESN’T GET EMOTIONAL AND GO TO
TEARS.
NOW SHE’S DEDICATED HER LIFE TO
HONORING HER MEMORY.
SHE GOES AND DECORATES ALISSA’S
GRAVE SITE, TRYING TO HONOR HER
AT THE BEACH HOUSE AND ALWAYS
TRIES TO GET INVOLVED IN THE
FOUNDATION WE CREATED IN HONOR
OF ALISSA.
ALISSA WAS THE CAPTAIN OF HER
SOCCER TEAM AND THE CENTER OF
ALL HER FRIENDS.
SHE LIFTED THEM UP, SHE HELPED
THEM STUDY.
SHE WAS THE SHOULDER TO CRY ON
AND SHE WAS THE EAR TO LISTEN.
NO MATTER WHAT HER FRIENDS
NEEDED SHE WAS THERE FOR THEM.
MOST OF ALL, SHE HAD THIS
INFECTIOUS LAUGH, BUT NOW I GET
TO WATCH ON TIKTOK VIDEOS.
ALIZ ALISSA’S FRIENDS HAVE
SUFFERED IN SO MANY WAYS.
MANY OF THEM STILL GO TO
COUNSELING.
ONE OF THEM IN PARTICULAR FAILS
TO MOVE FORWARD IN LIFE AND IT
PAINS ME TO SEE HER STRUGGLE.
THEN THERE WERE HER BROTHERS.
ONE WAS TOO YOUNG TO COMPREHEND
BUT ASKS TO GO TO THE CEMETERY
TO SEE HIS SISTER FROM TIME TO
TIME.
THIS IS NOT NORMAL.
I SHOWED THAT ALISSA WAS HIS
BEST FRIEND,LOOKED UP TO HER IN
SO MANY WAYS.
THE NIGHT OF THE TRAGEDY HE
STAID UP THE WHOLE NIGHT ASKING
ME EVERY HOUR ASKING ME IF WE
HAD FOUND HIM YET AND I DIDN’T
HAVE THE HEART TO TELL HIM ON
THE PHONE THAT HIS SISTER WAS
MURDERED SO I HAD TO WAIT UNTIL
WE GOT HOME AND HAD TO SHARE
THIS TRAGIC NEWS TO HIM.
IT BROKE MY HEART HAVING TO SAY
THIS TO HIM.
ABOUT A YEAR OR SO LATER HE
ASKED IF HE COULD SWITCH ROOMS
SO HE COULD BE CLOSER TO HER.
HE HOLDS BACK HIS SADNESS AND
ANGER BUT RECENTLY AT THE GRAVE
SITE HE GAVE A SPEECH AND I JUST
CAME TO TEARS.
THIS IS NOT NORMAL FOR YOUNG
BOYS GROWING UP.
THEY SHOULD NOT MANAGE SUCH
SORROW, SUCH LOS LOSS AND
TRAGEDY.
MY WIFE LOST HER FIRST BORN
DAUGHTER, SHE TALKS ABOUT
[INDISCERNIBLE] SHE FIGHTS IT
THE EVERY SINGLE DAY TO KEEP
ALISSA’S NAME ALIVE.
IT’S WITH OUR FOUNDATION, WITH
THE THE SCHOOL BOARD, WITH THE
SOCCER BOARD, SHE WEARS
BRACELETS WITH ALISSA’S NAME ON
IT.
SHE OCCASIONALLY SPRAYS ALISSA’S
PERFUME JUST TO TRY AND SMELL
HER.
SHE EVEN SLEEPS WITH ALISSA’S
BLANKETS.
FOUR YEARS LATER, SHE CONTINUES
TO GRIEVE LIKE IT WAS YESTERDAY
AND WHILE HER LIFE IS BUSY FOR
THE KIDDED SHE STAYS BUSY NOW
JUST SO SHE DOESN’T STOP AND
CRY.
AND THERE IS ME.
MY FIRST BORN DAUGHTER, MY
SIGNING STAR, DAD DID I’S GIRL
WAS TAKEN FROM ME.
I CAN TELL ALL MY FRIENDS, MY
NEIGHBORS, COLLEAGUES, SPEND
TIME ENJOYING THEIR DAUGHTERS,
TAKING IN THE JOYS, WHILE I
WATCH VIDEOS AND GO TO THE
CEMETERY TO SEE MY DAUGHTER.
IT WAS FOUR YEARS AGO THAT
EVERYONE, BUT TO ME IT WAS
YESTERDAY.
ALISSA WILL ALWAYS BE 14.
AND I WILL ALWAYS BE AT THE
POINT IN LIFE WITH HER.
ALL I KNOW IS A PIECE OF MY
HEART WAS NOT JUST CULT OUT OF
BUT WAS RIPPED OUT OF MY DAMN
CHEST.
FOR FOUR YEARS I WATCHED THE
STRUGGLE.
JUST TO KEEP I TOGETHER FOR MY
FAMILY AND INSIDE I BURN LIKE A
DAMN INFERNO.
I IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO FEEL
EMPATHY AGAIN AND HAS PREVENTED
ME FROM PROVIDING CARE FOR
PATIENCE.
UNFORTUNATELY I HAVE TO LIVE MY
LIFE WITH ANGER NOW.
AND LIKE MY WIFE I TRY AND STAY
BUSY SO I DON’T BREAK DOWN.
WHILE THE WORD MOVES ON WITH
THEIR LIVES WE DON’T HAVE THAT
LUXURY.
NO PARENT IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE
THAT GRIEF.
WITHOUT OUR DAUGHTER ALISSA, OUR
LIVES HAVE BEEN CHANGED FOREVER.