Jorge’s Story

The day my son was murdered, there were no more than 5 people, including children, at a 4th of July celebration. The group was planning on heading downtown that night. Prior to heading downtown, my son went into the bathroom to fix his hair, when he was followed, and murdered. This person could have murdered anyone but why my son?!

When I received the news, I was suspended in the air as everything stopped… as life did not continue, I stayed in that moment without going forward… without going backwards, imagining myself at the crime scene, feeling helpless. Police officers spoke to me with respect, they were kind and tried to make me feel good based on the pain I was feeling at that moment. It was something that happened in a second to the entire family. My family was surprised and speechless for a couple of hours, we did not know what to say. It is something that we will never forget and until now, has affected us. It is impossible to accept that the day before I looked at him, he gave me a kiss, he told me that he wanted to be good before the crime happened.

I did not know what to do at the time. I drove several hours, I forgot about my family. I did not talk to them until later, when I remembered that they were at the crime scene, something that I do not wish on my worst enemy. I drove and communicated with my nephew, which told me that the police were looking everywhere for the person that murdered my son. I was going through the streets imagining that I was going to run into the murderer, although I had no idea what his race was, nor what car he drove. When I received the call that they had found and detained him, I felt calm. However, that was just the beginning of the whole process.

During the initial stages of the investigation, I had communication with the detectives involved in the
case, they answered my questions and I told them the leads I thought I had, and they did their best. The
Anchorage Police Department followed my suggestions throughout the investigation. However, it was
sometimes difficult to reach them in regard to updates.

We had never been victims of a crime; we did not know what to expect of the legal process. Our daughter researched online and said there would be a hearing in prison to read the charges. During the initial stages of the legal process, at the first bail hearing, I had no idea who was the person that committed the crime against my son, I didn’t know what his race was, his complexion, nothing. My hope was that he was not going to be released on bail. 

At the first bail hearing, the Judge read all of the charges and the bail set by the judge was totally out of context. I was infuriated with the bail set of $50,000 Cash/Corporate and a Third Party Custodian… this means he goes to a bondsman and only pays $5,000. I do not remember if I got up and raised my hand, but I stood up and addressed the Court. I told the Judge, according to the charges that you just read, this person killed my son. How is it possible that the bail is $50,000 Cash/Corporate + a Third Party Custodian and that this person can be free?! There must be a mistake. The Judge stopped the hearing and asked for a recess. He returned and said the bail was set at $500,000. For me, that was a win. It was my first victory in the battle that began that day.

One as an immigrant goes to work just to cover basic commitments such as utilities, mortgage, and food. Sometimes this is the only thing we can achieve as immigrants. We were not prepared for a crime of this magnitude. I had no idea what was going to happen. At that time, I started to realize the reality when my son was taken to the morgue and was told the amount of time he would have to be there. We had to make arrangements with the funeral home and once we received a quote from them, I said I don’t have the money up front, but if you give me a chance, I can make payments. They told me not to worry, but they did ask for my signature and I signed it because my son is more important to me. 

My brother-in-law gave me a pamphlet where they talked about VFJ and the type of help that this organization provided and told me to call them. The next day, alone in my house, I inadvertently called VFJ and they did an intake on my case and gave me an appointment. My Victim Advocate told me not to worry, that the organization could help me with the expenses of the funeral by assisting with the Violent
Crimes Compensation Board application process. Following the funeral, she called me and told me that
the funeral expenses were approved and would be covered.

I am very grateful to VFJ because they gave me unconditional support, they were patient with me, they listened to me, and answered all of my questions. Every time I went to the office, they made me understand the process in great detail. The support kept me going. I found all these pleasant surprises that have helped me out of my misfortune as a victim.

Every July 4th is the anniversary of the day my son was murdered. On this day, my family leaves Anchorage and goes to a cabin. The death of my son united our family and we celebrate his departure in a positive way.

-Jorge Rea, Father of a Homicide Victim