Crime Victim’s Walk Helps Raise Awareness

EL PASO — They walk for different people, but for the same reason: to remember who they lost.

Mildred Murrillo and her husband walk for his son, Armando, who was shot to death execution-style in front of his mother and two sisters in 1991. The Murrillo family has been walking ever since. “We come here every year to keep his memory alive. He was a great student, he was a wrestler.”

Sunday marked the fifth annual Crime Victim’s Walk. Hundreds of family members who have lost someone to crime-related violence walked along-side prosecutors and police officers. Families donned shirts and posters to show the community who they loved and lost.

Others, like Paul Richeson, walked to inform the community that no one has to be a victim of crime. His granddaughter was killed by a life-long acquaintance while she was living in Austin. Ever since, Jennifer Ann Crecente’s family has been trying to educate the public on the dangers of dating violence.

They have published plastic cards listing ten warning signs of an abusive relationship. Richeson hopes their campaigning can saved at least one person. So far, thousands are listening.

“We’re on our second hundred-thousand printing of these cards.”

If you would like more information on the Jennifer Ann Crecente Memorial group, log onto www.jenniferann.org.