Dear Judge,

There are no words to describe the nightmare we have endured because of the cruel and vicious acts of the defendant. As I write this letter, painfully reflecting on the shocking horror of that night and the emotional and psychological aftermath that has followed, there is only one word that describes the state of our family: SHATTERED. We are shattered.  Jacqueline Avant, our beloved mother and wife, was very much alive and she loved her life. She was vibrant, she was active, and she was a critical support beam for her family, her many friends, and the communities she served. My mother devoted every cell in her body to helping others, spending over thirty years as an organizer, activist, and advocate for the people, and more specifically, the children of Watts. To have her life brutally taken from us and the countless people who depended on her support, love, and generosity is devastating and we will suffer from not only her loss, but also how it occurred, for the rest of our lives. Nobody who lived the way she did should have had to die the way she died. Second to her faith, my mother’s greatest belief was in the possibility of a safe and just world, and this is why we ask that the defendant spend the rest of his natural life in prison, without the possibility of parole. We will never get my mother back, but we feel it is our duty to act in her footsteps and work to protect the people in our communities. The trauma we are living through is immeasurable, we have no idea what healing from this violent loss looks like or if it is even possible, but we hold on to the hope that this individual will never have the chance to do this to another family.

Sincerely,

Nicole Avant and The Avant-Sarandos Family