Raising Awareness: A Sister Shares A Story And A Warning

Edgefield, SC—It was Halloween eve, 2007, when gunshots were fired inside this Edgefield County home.

Tanya Sullivan, victims’ sister and aunt: “You wake up one day they’re here, and by the night, they’re gone.“

Tanya Sullivan’s sister, Alecia, and her 17-year-old niece Jade, were shot to death that day, by Robert Herring, Alecia’s husband.

Sullivan: “Every morning you wake up, and it never changes, they’re really gone, you think about it, first thing.”

There have been many changes in the family these past two years. One of Alecia’s other daughters, Joree, just 15 at the time of her mother’s and sister’s deaths, now lives with Tanya.

Last week, she gave birth to a baby girl, and in memory of her sister, named her Jaeda.

Sullivan: “I mean, it’s bittersweet for us, because we’re so happy to have this baby, but on the other hand, it’s sad that her mom and her sister aren’t here to experience this, and you think about little Jaeda growing up, she’ll never get to meet them.“

Tanya says she’s now learning to use her grief. Recently, she participated in a march against domestic violence, and she’s says she’s trying to work through the guilt of seeing violence, and doing nothing to stop it.

Sullivan: “There were signs, and they were overlooked, obviously, and whether you could have done anything to prevent it, we’ll never know. That’s just something we live with, that we didn’t do enough, to prevent this.“

But she’s doing something now…keeping her sister and her niece’s memories alive, using the violent act that silenced their lives to speak to others.

Sullivan: “If you see signs, don’t wait, you know, if you see abuse, seek help immediately, because it may be too late.“

Tanya also spoke at the annual South Carolina victim’s memorial service this year. The state ranks eighth in the nation for women killed by domestic violence.