The past few months have felt like an insane roller coaster ride with my thoughts and emotions all over the place, shaking and rattling me to my core. Today, after arriving home from a couple of eventful days in San Diego, I think I can finally sort through some of the roaring chatter in my mind.
We attended another court date on Tuesday morning at 9:00am in Vallejo for one of the persons responsible for our Matt's murder. It appears that this new law, SB 1437 will allow this person a hearing for possible re-sentencing.
When Matt was murdered we were given a card that explained OUR RIGHTS (Marsy's Law)
https://oag.ca.gov/victimservices/content/bill_of_rights as family members of the victim.
This is definitely a violation of Marsy's Law. We have had NO FINAL CONCLUSION.
It's been 10 1/2 years!
9. To a speedy trial and a prompt and final conclusion of the case and any related post-judgment proceedings.
The shooter, Henry Don Williams, received 50 years to life for firing 8 shots at Matthew. One of the bullets hitting Matt in the back of his head, severing his brain stem.
Gene Combs, who, along with the driver of the getaway car, provided the shooter with the gun. Gene Combs also called the intended target, after Matt was shot. He left a message on the drug dealers voicemail saying; "Those bullets were meant for you Mother Fucker." He received 15 years to life.
Yes, Gene Combs went to the police 2 weeks later and told them what the three of them had done. Matt is still dead. That day our family was given a life-sentence without the possibility of parole.
The driver, Nicole Stewart, who was the shooters pregnant girlfriend, was never charged with any crime. Again, we were devastated by this decision.
And, here we are once again!
We have 2 court dates coming up on April 22nd for Matt's shooter and on April 23rd for Gene Combs.
After court on Tuesday, myself, my oldest daughter, and my grandson, headed to the airport to spend a couple of relaxing days in San Diego. I needed to be in the sun on the sand surrounded by the ocean.
What we witnessed late afternoon yesterday as we walked back to our room, was far from relaxing. It was actually traumatizing. We witnessed 3 men beating and stomping a man outside of a restaurant/bar. These three men were employees of the bar. Briana and I were across the street screaming for them to STOP. The man wasn't moving anymore and they continued to stomp on him. 911 was called but these three guys wouldn't stop. It was so horrible.
We were grateful that Ansel was sound asleep in his stroller and never woke up. It took us a long time to calm down after seeing such horrific violence. We watched as the police, fire, and ambulance arrived. We felt like we could continue making our way back to our room. We couldn't believe what we had just witnessed.
At midnight, Ansel woke up screaming. We didn't know what was wrong? Just then, Briana saw someone going through the garbage outside our window. Within a minute or so, the power went out in our room. Everything was pitch black. It was frightening.
We tried to call the front desk but the phone didn't work. Bri called 911 from her cell phone and was told that the entire area was experiencing a power outage.
This was the last straw for us. Briana called the airline and had our flight changed so we cold leave earlier. We packed up with the light from our phones. We left our room at 1:30 this morning.
I needed to replace the gas that I had used in the rental car, but, it was the wee hours of the morning and we didn't feel safe. Ansel needed his milk too. We found a Walgreens that was open. The night manger was concerned for us being out there at that time. He walked us out after our purchase. We noticed the well lite Shell station directly across the street. We could now head to the airport.
I want to get off of this roller coaster ride! My stomach hurts, I want to throw-up, and I'm terrified by all of the events that have taken place. The insanity of this ride is that we can't seem to get off. The lap bar won't release. Our Matt is never coming back and we are forced to loop these cork screws and have the blood rush to our heads from hanging upside down. God, help us!
I am grateful for all of the amazing people, places, and things that we have in our lives. Our grandson, Ansel, has been a beautiful bright light for our family. The love and support we receive has been our life line. Even though this roller coaster won't let us off, we are forever thankful for our family and friends who continue to be willing to see us through all the absurdity.
God, please clear my mind and heal my heart. Guide my thoughts, feelings, and perceptions. Give me the eyes to see, the ears to hear, and the words to speak. Amen
