Mothers murder victims stood together and told their stories at the National Murder Victims Remembrance Day ceremony in Palm Beach Shores.
When a memorial wreath was dropped into the ocean by a PBSO helicopter, Angela Ligonde was in tears.
For the first time since her 22-year-old son was shot to death last month, there was a sense of peace inside her. Ligonde held the flowers that washed up on shore, flowers that represented the lives of so many murder victims, beautiful, but short lived.
"It gives me that hope that at some time I will be right where they’re at right now cause I’m very sure that where I’m at right now they was there," said Ligonde.
Ligonde placed a picture of her son, Tenard Robinson, on the table next to many young faces. Her son was found dead laying near the roadway in Boynton Beach. Still no arrests in his case. The stories of many others like him were shared by surviving families.
"It was something that I never even knew existed," added Ligonde.
The National Murder Victims Remembrance Day ceremony is one State Attorney Dave Aronberg says is necessary to remind these families that they are not alone.
"It's really important to stand up for victims because they often get overlooked in the criminal justice process," said State Attorney Aronberg.
Linda DeMayo sat through the murder trial of her 23-year-old daughter. Diana DeMayo had just graduated the University of Miami and was living with her dad in Detroit when she was beat to death by a male friend. He was convicted to life in prison in 2010.
"I actually have come to a place of forgiveness because it was eating me alive the hate and I can’t live like that so I've forgiven him. He’s a very sick man and he just needs to be away for the rest of his life," said DeMayo.
The surviving families say they can never forget, their only option is to fight, to let the fight for justice keep burning in their hearts.
"That’s a feeing for a mother that never goes away, just never," added Ligonde.
