Families join in Durham on National Day of Remembrance for murder victims

Families joined at Durham’s St. Philips Friday on National Day of Remembrance for murder victims to find a path for healing.

The event was hosted by the Durham Chapter of Parents of Murdered Children.

“You have those days where you think about your loved ones and you smile,” said Paulette Thorpe, has lost two grandsons. “You’ll have those days where you think about your loved ones and you won’t smile. You’ll cry, you might even holler.”

For Thorpe and the other families showing support on Friday night, they said it’s okay not to feel at ease with the way their loved ones died.

“He was murdered as he was getting off the bus at Northgate Mall the day after Christmas in 2005,” Thorpe said.

Shannon Gigliotti was at the event in remembrance of her sister, Crystal, who was murdered in 2011.

“My nephew—over one night—he lost his mom and his home,” Gigliotti said. “The man he knew as dad, he lost all that overnight.”

Unlike Thorpe and Gigliotti, many people at the event still don’t know who is responsible for their tragedy. However, families said events like the National Day of Remembrance helps urge them to keep fighting for answers.