Fannin residents Ferrell Yates and Carmen Yates lost their son Charles Yates 31 years ago in a murder.
His killer was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
But for the parents of a murdered child, the pain never truly goes away.
“There isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t think about what it would have been if we had him now,” Ferrell Yates said.
“We lost all our innocence,” Carmen Yates said. “We’re scared of everything now.”
In acknowledgment of crime victims like them, Fannin County will observe Crime Victims’ Rights Week, county commission chair Jamie Hensley declared.
“I think there’s a lot of folks across the county that really don’t get to get their story out,” he said. “What this does is it helps them bring awareness.”
Hensley lost his sister Sherry Culberson to a murder too, 33 years ago.
From April 6 to April 12, the Fannin County courthouse will display a “Memory Book” where people can share memories of loved ones who have been lost because of crime.
“This proclamation reaffirms our dedication to building connections and creating a future where healing and hope are within reach for everyone,” a press release for the proclamation read.
Crime victims in attendance struggled to hold back tears.
“Time doesn’t heal anything,” Hensley said. “It helps you cope with it.
District attorney Frank Wood said that Fannin’s justice system works hard to protect the rights of victims and the accused.
“For me, it is a very important thing to remember our victims, support our victims, and honor our victims,” he said.
Community support is an essential part of that work, he added.
Often, victims of crime can be pushed out of the center of their own stories in media, Carmen Yates said. The murdered cannot speak for themselves.
“That’s not how it should be,” she said. “It should be the victim first, then the murderer.”
The man who killed their son had previously been convicted of murder and let out of prison after just two years.
“We don’t want people to forget,” she said. “More and more families are being exposed to violent crime.”
The Crime Victims’ Rights Week will let the people of Fannin offer empathy and encouragement to those who have suffered from crime.