It was the ninth year anniversary of the three sniper style shootings at gas stations in Kanawha County in August 2003 that claimed the lives of Jeannie Patton, Okey Meadows Jr. and Gary Carrier Jr.
The families of those killed in the shootings gathered once again Tuesday night, just like they have in the past, for a candlelight vigil to remember those lost.
Patton’s sister Karen Mance says it’s about remembering who her sister was.
"She always lit up the room or even a picture with her beautiful smile, her laughter and her jokes," says Mance. "That’s who she was and she did not deserve to be killed."
Mance says the pain of losing Jeannie will never go away because she was just loved too much.
This vigil was different from ones in the past though, since the man believed to be responsible for the murders was behind bars. Shawn Lester plead guilty in court, before his trial even began, to being involved in Patton’s murder. When it comes to closure, the plea deal was not what families were hoping for.
Jeannie’s father Larry Patton says there is no closer because justice has not been served.
"There will never be justice because they will never know if Lester killed his daughter or not," says Patton. "We will never know and Okey Meadow’s and Gary Carrier’s parents will never know who killed their loved ones."
Mance says there are still a lot of questions that remain unanswered.
"Still really no answers to why, or actually knowing who pulled the trigger," says Mance. "But knowing he was there, that’s a little bit, but not much."
The vigil was held at the Speedway gas station in Campbells Creek, the location where Patton was killed on August 14, 2003.
Mance says it’s time to move on, remember and never forget.
"From here we just kind of go with memories and keeping her alive in our hearts and memories," says Mance.
Gary Carrier Jr. was shot on August 10, 2003 at the Go-Mart on Bigley Avenue in Charleston and Okey Meadows Jr. was shot, the same day Jeannie Patton was, at a gas station in eastern Kanawha County.