Just hours after the charges for a man accused of murdering his 19-day-old girl were announced, dozens of Santa Clarita Valley residents gathered at a candlelight vigil to support the victim’s family.
Nearly 100 people gathered at Old Orchard Park in Newhall around 6:30 p.m., including family members, friends and complete strangers who wanted to show their support and remember the child.
“The support has been amazing from the community,” said April Gunkel, who is a close friend of the infant’s mother, Tawni Wallis. “We really thank everyone for coming out and even the hugs they have been donating have been amazing.”
At the vigil, people lit white candles and placed them around a picture of the victim, Ellorah Warner.
The crowd sang songs and Wallis was given hugs by people who were in attendance.
Matthew Warner’s mother, Victoria Thomson, was also at the vigil and shared a warm embrace with Wallis.
“Anybody that’s going through a loss is going to do the best that they can,” Gunkel said. “Being with her friends and family right now is the most important.”
Warner, 30, of Newhall, was charged with murder of Ellorah Warner, his 19-day-old child, as well as assault on a child causing death, torture, oral copulation or sexual penetration with a child 10 years or younger, and aggravated sexual assault of a child, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
The alleged sexual assault and murder occurred Friday, according to the felony complaint.
Warner led detectives to the area where the victim was Saturday morning, according to Lt. Holly Francisco, the homicide detective leading the investigation.
Wallis chose not to speak to any media during the vigil.
– Evan Stevens
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5 Comments
Alexandra Mary Sowers that’s what all the news vans were at last night when we went to drop your car off
Ara Valboni
How did the mom not know though?
This is too disturbing.
@Lanna would be very easy for the mother not know. First of all the baby was only 19 days old. That age the baby does even know what is happening to her let alone able to communicate about actions that heinous actions that have happen. Unfortunately this not the first time that something like that this has happen. Children have been abused since the beginning of time and haven’t been reported. Even when the victims of such actions are able to communicate, they don’t. The mother was working and the father was taking care of the child. Nobody knows the whole story yet. The father had a criminal record but nothing of being comparable to this matter. No history of sexual or violent crimes. There is still way too many questions that need to be answered on this. Was this incident the first and only time it had happen? Unforutantely people arent walking around in shirts say that they are pedophiles and that they are going to murder there child.