Victim Impact Statement

Evelyn faced many challenges her short life, but she never hid from them. Evelyn faced the world head on, never letting people tell her that she wasn’t good enough. Evelyn cared deeply for those that didn’t have as much as she did. She was always secretly giving her clothes to her friends so they would have something nice to wear. She and her friends would spend hours trying on her clothes and doing and redoing their hair and makeup, often times even “borrowing” her mother’s clothes. This was Evelyn, always the leader, always trying hard to make people feel better about themselves. Evelyn was independent.

Evelyn’s got her own first job, as a clerk in Steinmart. She quickly went from stocking shelves and helping customers to becoming the main visual merchandiser for store. People were even brought in to train her and help her become better. During Christmas of 2012, she was so proud of how she had decorated and arranged the store. Her skills even help the store to increase sales by influencing shoppers to purchase clothes that were on the mannequins. Before she died, her manager had recommended her for Employee of the Month for June. An honor that was awarded to her, but that she never knew about.

Evelyn’s life was making a turn for the better. She found a good guy, she found a job, she was working hard to finish high school and get her diploma. She was also fulfilling her dream of modeling.

It was because of her modeling that I became a photographer. I was afraid that some sleazy people would take advantage of her, so I went with her to every shoot and every show taking thousands of photos. We worked together constantly with some of San Diego’s best clothing designers, makeup artists, and stylists. She was a natural in front of the camera and on the runway. My muse was taken from me.