It’s been more than 20 years since the death of a three-year-old Newburgh boy who was killed at the hands of his mother’s boyfriend. Now community members have named a Newburgh park after him.

Lost but never forgotten, the memory of Xavier lives on in his older brother Andrew Krigsman.

“My brother passed away when he was three. I was four years old. We were victims of domestic violence. Unfortunately, he passed away because of it. My mother and her boyfriend were the causes of my brother's death,” Krigsman said.

Krigsman says he’s reminded of his little brother every day when he looks at his son.

“My brother passed away on December 21, 1999, four days before Christmas, and [in] 2019, my son was born 20 years later,” said Krigsman.

Krigsman says he wants to break the cycle of child abuse and child neglect, so after years of trauma he has returned to his old neighborhood to make peace with his past.

“Coming back is really proving a point that I don't want to turn my back on someplace that really has a lot of potential. And I was a product of this environment,” said Krigsman.

In June, the city of Newburgh had a ribbon cutting ceremony for Xavier Lunan Park. Shelley Starkey, a volunteer, was a big part of making it happen.

“Shelley has been a guardian of this park for a while, and finding this part to be something of importance for the community and for the kids most importantly, resonating with my brother's story, having our own story and using her faith to drive her action,” said Krigsman.

“I’m feeling like the world is beautiful and the world is ugly. And this was a chance for us to turn ugly into beautiful,” said Starkey, “and Xavier’s memory lives on, and now his nephews here [are] the same age as he was and he has a safe place to play.”

Krigsman was adopted into a loving family and is intent on turning his pain into purpose.

“I'm from the ’hood; a lot of gang signs with your hands, control the narrative, but this to me means positivity and opportunity and being able to make that symbol bigger,” Krigsman said.

“I have a clothing brand and I make music and stuff like that. So I found my passion, and this journey, I want to help other people find their passion, and this is all because of this story of tragedy turning into triumph and addressing my trauma in a positive light.”