Vigil honors slain woman

Four life-size, female silhouettes provided a visual reminder of domestic violence at a candlelight vigil Monday night at the Showers Building, 401 N. Morton St. Each silhouette on display in the lobby represented a woman killed as a result of domestic violence in Bloomington since last September. \nAbout 70 people gathered to remember the lives of those women and to call attention to domestic violence in the community. The vigil was sponsored by the Middle Way House and the Bloomington Council on the Status of Women.\nMiddle Way House Outreach Coordinator Sarah Huntington said she believes it is important to realize domestic violence is prevalent in every community. \n"We want to remind people that domestic violence happens to people we know and interact with on a daily basis," Huntington said. \nFrom Sept. 1999 to Sept. 2000, four women were killed as a result of domestic violence in Bloomington.\nOn the morning of Sept. 20, 1999 three people were found dead in a westside Bloomington home. Bloomington police believe James Hoard shot his pregnant wife, Donnetta Adams, and her mother, Barbara Allen, before shooting himself.\nAnother early morning rampage April 4 left two people dead. Bloomington Police believe Robert Boles shot his ex-girlfriend, Jannifer Cockrell, while she slept in her southeast side home. \nJennifer Meece was found dead June 15 in her bedroom closet at Bicknell Apartments on campus. Her boyfriend, Chris Thiel, was found dead in the bedroom of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.\nThe vigil included a short memorial reading for each of the victims. Members of the audience held candles and listened as each victim was commemorated. \nJunior Christy Speer, a Middle Way House intern, said she hoped the vigil did two things: raise awareness and provide support for the victims and families. \nMark Pittman was the final speaker of the night. Pittman's mother, Barbara Allen, and sister, Donnetta Adams, were murdered last September. Pittman called for community members and police officers to act against domestic violence in Bloomington. \n"My anger toward the justice system and James Hoard, who killed my mother and sister, has been replaced with compassion," Pittman said.