Since the start of the year, more than 100 new names were enshrined on the Victims’ Memorial Wall adjacent to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office in downtown Riverside, officials said Friday.
The additional 110 names were unveiled during Thursday’s final ceremony to mark this year’s National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.
The D.A.’s office released a statement Friday, noting that while honoring the victims is of the utmost importance, the new names represent “mothers, fathers, children and other loved ones, whose absence is felt every day.”
“With their addition, the wall now bears 3,342 names in all,” the agency stated. “In their memory, we carry forward courage, remembrance and hope, ensuring their stories are never forgotten.”
Names can be from any year since the county was founded in 1893. Those listed generally perished in an act of violence perpetrated against them.
The wall was formally erected and introduced at the end of 2009, situated on the northeast corner of the D.A.’s headquarters on Orange Street. When then-District Attorney Rod Pacheco unveiled the shrine, there were about 1,500 names.
Two candlelight vigils were held — the first in Palm Desert Tuesday, and the other in Riverside on Thursday — in recognition of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. The vigils began in 2004.
At Tuesday’s service, Melissa Chavez was the keynote speaker. Her brother, 26-year-old Conrado Pizarro, was fatally shot in December 2014 when he stopped for gas in Palm Desert and got into an argument with another patron in the parking lot. The shooter, Kurtis Knigge, was later convicted and sentenced to life in state prison.
“Melissa and her family endured the difficult criminal justice process, including having to hear the details of the crime not once, but twice, when the case was sent back on appeal,” according to a D.A.’s office statement. “Through this experience, Melissa gained a deep understanding of the profound impact violent crime and prolonged court proceedings have on surviving family members.”
The second vigil began with a brief ceremony outside the Riverside Historic Courthouse, from which attendees walked and then gathered again in the Victims’ Memorial Courtyard.
During that vigil, the names were unveiled and Laura Gardhouse addressed attendees. Her one and only son, 19-year-old Sean, was fatally assaulted when he and a friend were jumped without provocation by a group of young men outside a Corona-area restaurant. The defendants were notorious for starting recreational fistfights.
All four of those involved were later convicted of second-degree murder. Each received a sentence of 15 years to life in state prison.
“For decades, Laura has turned her heartbreak into advocacy,” the D.A.’s office said. “She has championed Marsy’s Law, trained criminal justice professionals on the needs and rights of victims and actively participated in the parole process to advocate for herself and others.”
District Attorney Mike Hestrin spoke at both gatherings.