BRITTANY ATWOOD, WHO WE HAVE
HEARD IS LIZZI'S GIRLFRIEND.
CAN ONE BECOME A JUDGE.
THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME SPEAK
TODAY.
MY NAME IS BRITTANY, AND I AM
WITH THE MARRIOTT'S GIRLFRIEND.
-- AND I AM LIZZI MARRIOTT'S
GIRLFRIEND.
I STAND HERE NOT ONLY IS
LIZZI'S
BEST FRIEND BUT AS HER
GIRLFRIEND.
ONE DAY YOU WAKE UP AND YOU ARE
WITH THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE AND
YOU ARE HAPPY IN THE UNIVERSE,
AND THE NEXT DAY SHE IS GONE,
JUST LIKE THAT.
NO WARNING, NO NOTHING.
EVERYTHING IS TAKEN AWAY IN AN
INSTANT.
YOUR HEART, YOUR SOUL, YOUR
PRIDE, YOUR HOPE, YOUR FAITH,
AND YOUR LOVE OUR FORM FROM YOUR
BODY.
LIFE DOES NOT PREPARE YOU FOR
THIS, FOR THE FEELING OF LOSS,
TRAGEDY, IN TUNIS, DARKNESS, AND
HATE.
THEY CANNOT BE EXPLAINED, BUT
LIZZI'S LIFE AND WHO SHE WAS CAN
BE.
LIZZI WAS AND ALWAYS WILL BE THE
MOST AMAZING, WONDERFUL,
BEAUTIFUL, AND TALENTED PERSON,
FRIEND, AND GIRLFRIEND IN THE
ENTIRE WORLD AND THE UNIVERSE.
THOSE ARE PRETTY MUCH THE LAST
WORDS THAT TEXTED HER AT THAT
NIGHT.
I JUST HOPE TO GOD THAT SHE SAW
IT.
I WILL NEVER FORGET HOW MUCH OF
A BRIGHT LIGHT SHE WAS.
SHE HAD LOVED, TENACITY,
KINDNESS, LAUGHTER,
DETERMINATION, STRENGTH,
INTELLIGENCE, TALENT,
POSITIVITY, ET CETERA.
I CAN GO ON FOR DAYS.
AND SHE WAS ALWAYS SMILING.
SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL INSIDE AND
OUT.
YOU LOOK THE WORD YOU TO FULL UP
IN THE DICTIONARY AND HER NAME
IS THERE.
I WILL NEVER FORGET HER GORGEOUS
BLUE EYES, BIG BRIGHT AND WARM
SMILE, CUTE DIMPLES, CONTAGIOUS
LAUGH, THE GRACES OF
HUMOR, AND
BUBBLY PERSONALITY.
AGAIN, I COULD GO ON.
LIZZI WAS A GIRL WITH MANY
TALENTS.
SHE COULD WRITE OUTSTANDING AND
MOVING POETRY.
SHE ALWAYS HAD A WAY WITH WORDS.
SHE COULD SING LIKE AN ANGEL.
HER VOICE ALWAYS MADE ME SMILE,
AND IT SEEMED THAT EVERYTHING IN
THE WORLD STOPPED AND FROZE FOR
A MOMENT AND IT WAS JUST HER AND
I.
SHE COULD DRAW JUST ABOUT
ANYTHING, ESPECIALLY AS SILLY
CARTOONS AND OCEAN LIFE, SOME OF
WHICH SHE DO IN HER ART CLASS AT
UNH.
SHE WAS ATHLETIC.
SHE LOVED TO SWIM IN HER PULLING
HER BACKYARD.
SHE WAS PART OF HER WRESTLING
AND TRACK AND FIELD TEAM.
SHE CAN MAKE ANYONE LAUGH WITH
HER WONDERFUL AND UNIQUE SENSE
OF HUMOR.
SHE WOULD COME UP WITH AND SAY
THE GOOFIEST THINGS THAT I HAVE
EVER HEARD OF MY LIFE.
SHE WAS ALWAYS WILLING TO LEARN.
SHE LOVES SCHOOL, SPECIAL UNITS,
AND WAS THE MOST INTELLIGENT
PERSON THAT I EVER MET.
LASTLY, SHE HAD AN ENDLESS
AMOUNT OF KNOWLEDGE FOR MARINE
LIFE.
SHE HAD BEEN VOLUNTEERING AT THE
NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM FOR YEARS
AND LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT.
SHE WOULD CONSTANTLY BE TALKING
ABOUT HER TIME SPENT THERE, AND
SHE KNEW THE MOST INTERESTING
FACTS ABOUT MARINE ANIMALS AND
WOULD ALWAYS BE EDUCATED NOT
ONLY ME BUT ANYONE THAT SHE HAD
MET.
SHE WAS ONE OF A KIND OF MEANT
THE WORLD TO ME.
NO ONE WILL EVER COMPARE TO HER,
NO ONE WILL EVER MAKE THE SAME
IMPACT ON THIS WORLD IN ON ME
LIKE LIZZI DID.
SHE ALWAYS CARED ABOUT OTHERS
AND WAS THE MOST KINDHEARTED
PERSON I'VE EVER MET.
TWO PEOPLE AS WELL AS TO ANIMALS
AND TO NATURE ITSELF.
SHE APPRECIATED EVERYTHING IN
LIFE.
SHE WAS GOOD, SWEET, AND PURE.
SHE WAS ALWAYS HELPING PEOPLE
AND ANIMALS.
YOU CAN ALWAYS CATCH HER SAVING
TURTLES FROM THE
BACKYARD OR
FROM BEING HIT BY CAR IN THE
ROAD.
HER LOVE FOR THIS WORLD AND
PEOPLE AND ANIMALS AND IT WAS
JUST REMARKABLE.
OUR
RELATIONSHIP AND OUR BOND
WAS STRONG AND ABSOLUTELY
AMAZING.
WHAT WE HAD WAS SPECIAL, SO
SPECIAL THAT WE WOULD TELL EACH
OTHER EVERYTHING, AND WE WOULD
CONSTANTLY BE LAUGHING AND
SMILING TOGETHER.
WE WERE ALWAYS THERE FOR EACH
OTHER THROUGH THE GOOD TIMES AND
THROUGH THE HARD TIMES.
WE WERE ALWAYS THERE TO SUPPORT
EACH OTHER NO MATTER WHAT.
WE HAD LOVE, TRUST, AND A
CONNECTION SINCE DAY ONE.
EVERYDAY I WOULD TELL LIZZI HOW
MUCH I LOVED HER AND HOW
BEAUTIFUL SHE WAS AND SHE WOULD
DO THE SAME FOR ME.
LIZZI ALWAYS STOOD UP FOR WHAT
SHE BELIEVED IN AND FOR WHAT WAS
RIGHT.
THERE IS NO DOUBT IN MY MIND
THAT SHE FOUGHT THAT NIGHT.
SHE SAW THE GOOD IN EVERYONE AND
EVERYTHING, AND SHE WAS TOO PURE
TO SEE THE EVIL IN KAT AND SETH.
FOR THE SHORT TIME SHE WAS
ATTENDING UNH, SHE WOULD COME
ACROSS A SITUATION AND ONE OF
HER CLASSES.
I REMEMBER A CONVERSATION WE HAD
ON THE PHONE AS CLEAR AS DAY.
IT SHOWS HOW LIZZI ALWAYS STOOD
UP FOR WHAT WAS RIGHT.
IN SEPTEMBER, 2012, 1 OF HER
CLASSMATES IN HER LAP AT LIZZI
IF SHE COULD BORROW HER
TAKE-HOME TEST TO GO OFF OF, AND
BECAUSE OF THE GOODHEARTED
PERSON THAT LINDSAY WAS, SHE
SAID OF COURSE, TRUSTING THAT
HER CLASSMATE WAS GOING TO USER
TEST AS JUST A REFERENCE.
THE FOLLOWING DAY, LIZZI HAD
FOUND OUT THAT HER CLASSMATE HAD
COPIED EVERYTHING ON HER TEST
AND HAD USED IT TO TEACH.
NOW, MOST PEOPLE WOULD JUST
IGNORE IT AND GET ANGRY AND DO
NOTHING ABOUT IT, BUT NOT LIZZI.
AS SOON AS SHE FOUND OUT, SHE
WALKED RIGHT UP TO HER CLASSMATE
AND CONFRONTED HER ABOUT IT.
SHE LOOKED RIGHT AT HER AND SAID
YOU USED MY TESTED TO CHEAT.
WHEN THE CLASS WAS OVER, LIZZI
HAD TOLD ME SHE WAS GOING TO
E-MAIL HER PROFESSOR ABOUT WHAT
HAD HAPPENED.
SHE WAS NOT ONE TO LET HER
CLASSMATES GET AWAY WITH USING
WHAT SHE HAD PUT ALL OF HER HARD
WORK AND EFFORT INTO AND WHAT
SHE WROTE AS HER OWN TO CHEAT ON
A TEST.
LIZZI KNEW WHAT THE RIGHT THING
TO DO WAS AND HOW TO DO IT.
SHE WAS
MOTIVATED AND DETERMINED
WHEN TALKING ABOUT IT.
IT WAS SOMETHING SHE WAS PROUD
OF AND I WAS PROUD OF HER FOR.
SHE WAS A BRIGHT LIGHT AND
ALWAYS WILL BE FOREVER.
SHE WAS MY WORLD, MY EVERYTHING,
AND SHE WILL ALWAYS BE IN MY
HEART, SO PLEASE DO NOT LET HER
LIFE MEAN NOTHING.
PLEASE DO NOT LET WHERE LIZZI
AND I HAD ME NOTHING.
NOTHING IN LIFE CAN NEVER
PREPARE YOU FOR THIS.
EVER.
THE LAST YEAR AND 10 MONTHS HAVE
BEEN ON IMAGINABLE AND
UNEXPLAINABLE.
IT HAS BEEN THE MOST HORRIFYING,
GRUELING, PAINFUL, AND
EXPERIENCE I'VE EVER HAD TO GO
THROUGH.
MY WORST FEAR EVER SINCE I WAS A
LITTLE GIRL HAS ALWAYS BEEN
LOSING SOMEONE THAT I LOVE
AMANDA FOR THAT FEAR TO COME
TRUE HAS BEEN A NIGHTMARE.
-- THAT I LOVE AND FOR
THAT FEAR
TO COME TRUE HAS BEEN A
NIGHTMARE.
SUCH A HORRIFIC, THOUGHTLESS,
AND GRUESOME WAY.
HER AND I HAD A STRONG
CONNECTION AND BOND THAT I HAVE
NEVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE IN MY
LIFETIME.
HER AND I WERE SO
SOULMATE AND
BEST FRIENDS.
TO HAVE THAT TAKEN AWAY IS LIKE
LOSING SOMETHING YOU HAD ALWAYS
THOUGHT YOU WOULD HAVE FOREVER.
NEVER AGAIN WILL I BE ABLE TO
HOLD HER HAND, HUG HER, MAKE HER
LAUGH, SHARE SPECIAL MOMENTS,
MEMORIES, STORIES
, AFFECTION,
ENCUMBER WITH HER, NOR WILL I
EVER BE ABLE TO HEAR HER CALMING
VOICE AND WORDS.
THROUGHOUT EVERY DAY THAT GOES
LIKE A SOMETHING REMINDS ME OF
HER, SOMETHING HAPPENS THAT I
WISH I COULD SHARE WITH HER.
EVERY TIME I SEE
AN OCTOPUS AND
ANYTHING MARINE RELATED I WANT
TO SHOW HER AND TELL HER ABOUT
IT.
AN OCTOPUS
WAS HER FAVORITE
ANIMAL.
IT MEANT A LOT TO HER,
ESPECIALLY THE ONES SHE HAD
ENCOUNTERED WHILE VOLUNTEERING
AT THE AQUARIUM.
SHE HAD A SPECIAL CONNECTION
WITH THEM.
WHEN SOMETHING SILLY THAT I KNOW
SHE WOULD LOVE AND APPRECIATE
HAPPENS, LIKE SOMETHING THAT
SOMEONE I KNOW DID OR I COME
ACROSS A FUNNY YOUTUBE VIDEO, I
WISH I COULD SHARE IT WITH HER.
WHEN A CERTAIN SONG COMES ON THE
RADIO, PARTICULARLY ILLEGAL
ELLIE
GOULDING THAT WE
SOLICITED TOGETHER, I WISH SHE
WAS HERE TO ENJOY IT WITH ME.
THESE PAST TWO YEARS HAVE BEEN
FILLED WITH GRIEF, SADNESS,
FEAR, DEPRESSION, ANGER,
FRUSTRATION, PAIN, LONELINESS,
EMPTINESS, NUMBNESS, AND MANY
MORE MOTIONS THAT I NEVER
THOUGHT I HAD OR EVEN EXISTED.
I AM NOT WHO I USED TO BE AND I
HAVE NOT BEEN MYSELF SINCE THAT
DREADFUL NIGHT, AND THIS HURTS
NOT ONLY MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS
BUT MYSELF.
MY LIFE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME.
IT HAUNTS ME TO KNOW THAT THERE
WAS NOTHING THAT I COULD DO, TO
KNOW THAT THERE WAS NOTHING I
COULD DO TO SAVE HER.
TO PROTECT HER, TO STOP IT FROM
HAPPENING.
I LIVE WITH THAT
GUILT EVERY
DAY.
I HAVE ULTIMATELY BEEN PARALYZED
BY THIS EMOTIONAL AGONY AND
HORROR.
AS A RESULT, EVERYTHING HAS
BEEN
HARDER FOR ME.
THE ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING
ARE NO LONGER SIMPLE.
I CANNOT EAT, CANNOT SLEEP,
CANNOT THINK.
I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FUNCTION
LIKE A NORMAL PERSON SHOULD.
MY LIFE HAS BEEN FILLED WITH
TEARS AND SLEEPLESS NIGHTS.
I HAVE HAD NO MOTIVATION.
THE THINGS THAT I USED TO LOVE
TO DO ARE NO LONGER EASY.
BETWEEN A BROKEN HEART AND THE
NUMBNESS, THIS HAS TAKEN A TOLL
ON MY MIND, MY BODY, AND MY
SPIRIT.
NOT ONLY MY PHYSICAL WELL-BEING
BUT MY EMOTIONS HAVE BEEN
COMPROMISED.
NOTHING WILL EVER CHANGE THAT.
IT IS DONE.
MY WORLD HAS BEEN CHANGED
FOREVER.
I NEVER IMAGINED MYSELF STANDING
HERE BEFORE YOU ALL, BUT WHAT I
CAN IMAGINE IS THAT JUSTICE WILL
BE SERVED.
NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, GOOD
WILL ALWAYS CONQUER OVER EVIL.
LOVE WILL ALWAYS PREVAIL.
LIZZI'S LIGHT WILL SHINE
BRIGHTER THAN EVER BEFORE.
SHE MAY BE GONE, BUT HER SPIRIT
WILL ALWAYS LIVE ON.
LIZZI WILL ALWAYS BE MY
GIRLFRIEND, MY HERO, AND THE
LOVE OF MY LIFE.
I WILL NEVER STOP THINKING ABOUT
HER.
AND LIZZI'S LOVE FOR THE OCEAN
AND ALL THAT IT EMBRACES AND
STANDS FOR WILL NEVER DIE.
I LOVE YOU, LIZZI, WITH ALL OF
MY HEART, AND I ALWAYS WILL.