'A club no one wants to join': Survivors gather to remember Utah homicide victims

SALT LAKE CITY — More than a hundred people gathered on the steps of the Utah Capitol on Monday evening to remember homicide victims and heal through unity.

Families held candles while wearing shirts with pictures of their loved ones who they were honoring at the vigil. Sept. 25 is designated as the National Day of Remembrance for Homicide Victims.

Neca Allgood spoke of her brother Jordan who was killed during a robbery at his coin store in St. George in 2003.

"It's hard to believe it's been almost 20 years. Jordan never got to see his kids grow into the wonderful adults they are. He didn't get to be here to care for his beloved wife when she got cancer," Allgood said. "As survivors, we are members of a club that no one wants to join: the survivors of homicide loss."

Allgood is a board member for the Gun Violence Prevention Center of Utah. Ever since her brother's death 20 years ago, she has worked on preventing gun violence to honor her brother's memory.

"We find ways to survive. We find ways to carry on and honor our loved ones' memories," Allgood said. "We are not alone and we are not powerless. Thank you all for being here today to help me know that I am not alone."

Allgood encouraged people to take the time to write messages to state and federal leaders to "share that we are not powerless against the tidal wave of gun deaths that drowns our families in grief and loss."

The event was hosted by Utah Homicide Survivors, an organization dedicated to providing resources and therapy to those who have lost someone to homicide. Families who have been helped by Utah Homicide Survivors help plan the vigil every year.

Three tents with posters displayed pictures and information on dozens of Utahns who were victims of homicide.

"A lot of times these stories are featured in the news really quickly. And then it goes away and people don't remember these victims. They don't remember these families; they don't know what they're going through after the homicide occurs," Utah Homicide Survivors founder Brandon Merrill said. "So this is a way for not just the community of survivors, but Utah as a whole, to know what these families are going through and what they experience."

Merrill started Utah Homicide Survivors more than four years ago to help families of homicide victims. This year was the fifth remembrance event and it has grown larger every year as more people become aware and because "we have lost too many lives to homicide," Merrill said.

"This year's theme is healing together, remembering every life," Merrill said. "This is a club nobody should have to be a part of. Their loved one was taken from them by somebody else committing a violent act."

The organization created a virtual remembrance wall on its website to ensure victims are always remembered. "People can go in and add their loved ones and their memory will live on forever on our website," Merrill said.

Jessica Jensen attended the event in remembrance of her niece Nichole Olsen, who was killed Nov. 20, 2022, in a shooting in downtown Salt Lake City. About 20 members of the family attended the event with shirts that had a photo of Olsen and read "In honor of Nikkie."

"She was very comedic, fun, outgoing, a mother, a niece, a daughter, a granddaughter. She was awesome," Jensen said. "We came here tonight so we could bring more light to what happened to Nichole."

Jensen said the family is fighting with the court currently because the perpetrator was just released from jail on a bond. She said it's hard for the family to see the perpetrator gain his freedom, when her niece isn't even here to have a voice.

"We need to bring awareness to those that no longer have a voice. They didn't choose to be murdered. We know that people are killed every day and they no longer have that voice and that's where we stand in," Jensen said. "We're part of a system that we know it's broken, and we are trying to be part of the change."

Utah Homicide Survivors has started providing resources and therapy in Spanish for Hispanic victims in Utah. Social worker Gabriela Hall has worked for the organization for two years and said it is trying to build up the Spanish group online so survivors can get help whether they speak English or Spanish.

Hall said grieving for someone who died of homicide can be a lengthy process as families deal with court proceedings and trials that extend the trauma.

Hall said it's nice to see how many families show up at events like these to offer comfort and support. She's grateful vigils and remembrance events generate more awareness and empathy for those in tragic situations.

Musician EJ Michels, who just competed on "The Voice," performed multiple sad yet hopeful songs during the remembrance event.

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