AUTRYVILLE - Family and loved ones of a Hope Mills teen gathered in Sampson County Friday night, two years after she was murdered.
Police say 15-year-old Danielle Locklear was killed by her former boyfriend, Je’Michael Malloy, who confessed to choking her to death and throwing her body in the South River.
“It’s two years later and it’s not gotten any easier,” said Locklear’s aunt, Chena Simmons.
March 11th is a day the family will never forget.
“We had just seen her that morning and she is gone forever, you know. She was our everything,” said Locklear’s aunt, Chena Papa.
Locklear’s family is now using the tragedy to spread awareness about domestic violence and honor lives lost to it, with vigils like the one held Friday night.
“If you see something, say something, you know, because we didn’t know, we didn’t see any signs, we never thought to ask a teenager, ‘is someone hurting you?’” said Papa.
“To benefit people that have been in our situation and maybe did not get the help or no justice. So it’s all about justice,” said Locklear’s mom, Rowna Fowler.
The family is using religion and faith to keep going, while still looking for answers on why it happened in the first place.
“It’s still a burden in our hearts, and we want to continue to seek and reach forward until we can reach some solace, until we can reach some peace of mind,” said Simmons.
Malloy is charged in Locklear's murder and he has less than a month to decide whether or not he will take a plea deal or go to trial.
Locklear’s family said at the vigil they hope Malloy will take a plea deal, so they do not have to relive the tragedy again in court.