Group gathers for vigil to honor Salt Lake teen slain by his father

SALT LAKE CITY — A large crowd gathered Sunday to both honor a 16-year-old boy shot and killed by his father in Salt Lake City and to raise support for the passage of a law aimed at preventing such tragedies.

Classmates, childhood friends, teachers and others gathered for the candlelight vigil at Sunnyside Park, 1735 E. Sunnyside Ave., to honor 16-year-old Om Moses Gandhi.

On May 13, the day before Mother's Day, Om was killed by his father, Dr. Parth Gandhi, 49, inside Gandhi's neuropsychology clinic at 2936 S. Highland Drive. Gandhi then killed himself.

Om's love of music was highlighted during the vigil. "He taught himself to play the piano, played the bass clarinet and drums, and was a gifted saxophone player. Sadly, Om had his saxophone in hand the day he was senselessly murdered," according to a memorial fund established in his name to raise money to help fight domestic violence and prevent children from being abused.

To honor Om, his music teacher from the Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts played guitar and was accompanied by a saxophone player as the two played some of Om's favorite songs at the vigil.

The event was organized by students and the group Justice For Om, which livestreamed the vigil on their newly created Instagram page.

Ella Udell, who organized the vigil, was a childhood friend and former neighbor of Om.

"This devastating news shook me to my core, along with hundreds of other people whose souls were touched by Om," she said. "I am gathering with Om's friends, peers, teachers and community members to honor Om's memory in a healing and loving way.

"Om was like family to me," she continued. "We grew up together spending summer nights playing in the meadow and cold winter days curled up on the couch with a book and hot chocolate. Om was one of the purest souls I have ever met as he was kind, giving, humorous, creative and loving. Om's warm smile and gentle eyes could lighten dark days and his humor had the ability to send us into fits of laughter. We hope this vigil will honor Om while also providing some solace for his family and our larger community. We are all hurting."

Leah Moses filed for divorce from Gandhi in 2009. But the divorce was not finalized until 2014 because of continued court hearings regarding child custody, according to court records. Even after the divorce was finalized, the child custody battle continued. The most recent hearing in the ongoing legal proceeding was held last month.

Moses raised numerous allegations in court and to law enforcers of Om being abused. But Gandhi was still granted full custody of his son.

"My son Om's death was preventable," Moses said in a statement. "The family court system professionals ignored my pleas for help to keep my son safe. My son's father persuaded everyone I was the problem, when in fact I was just trying to protect my child. I never want this to happen to another family, to another child. If the courts would listen to and believe survivors, this nightmare could stop."

Moses, who is currently a board member of the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition, has lobbied for the passage of the Keep Children Safe from Family Violence Act, also known as "Kayden's Law." The law would require hearings during child custody cases to vet allegations of abuse. Kayden's Law has been passed in a couple of states. It is named after 7-year-old Kayden Mancuso, of Pennsylvania, who was killed by her father in 2018 during court-ordered custody time, which was granted despite Kayden's mother raising safety concerns over her daughter's safety.

Information about Kayden's Law was made available to attendees of Sunday's vigil, as was a reminder that funds raised through a GoFundMe campaign* set up for Om would be used in the effort to pass the law in Utah.

"Om was one of the most beautiful people I have ever met," added friend and former neighbor Sophia Udell. "We grew up together. I remember us around age 10, sitting in a small car and enjoying the music from the radio, each other's company, and the budding spring. Om's mother, Leah, had parked the car to give us more time. Sitting there, in that parked car, we thought we would have a lifetime of those moments.

"We thought that 'time' was something we would never have to worry about. We were wrong."

*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

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