CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The rain on Saturday seemed to stop just in time for Justin Sawyer’s candlelight vigil, as friends, family, and classmates gathered at the McGregor Park covered pavilion to remember the 20-year-old’s life after he was killed in a suspected robbery on Dec. 17.

The vigil was organized by several of Justin’s friends, including Summer Torres-Morales and Justin’s girlfriend, Ebone Walker.

Torres-Morales was blown away by the volume of people who poured into the pavilion at the Cumberland Riverwalk. Many had to stand outside around the guard rails as there just wasn’t room for everyone under the covered space.

“I’m a lot shocked, I didn’t expect it to be this big,” Torres-Walker told Clarksville Now.

“He had so much heart”

Friends then took turns on the mic, sharing memories of Justin and testifying to the impact he had on their lives.

“Justin was definitely one of the most loyal people I ever met in my life, hands down. He was the one who taught me how to change a tire. I didn’t even know to change a tire before I met him,” Shane Farr, Justin’s roommate and good friend, said.

“And I’d really like to thank Ms. Tracy (Jackson) for raising him, because that was my brother,” Farr continued. “He had so much heart, you just don’t find a heart like his these days.”

Walker was too overwhelmed with emotion to speak to the crowd at the vigil, but shared later on that the she wasn’t shocked at all by the amount of people who came to celebrate Justin.

“I knew how loved he was, and I knew it was going to be a pretty big thing,” Walker said.

Walker met Justin when they were both attending Rossview High School, and they dated for several years. A few teachers and staff at Rossview who knew Justin also came to the vigil Saturday.

Her favorite memory of him was when they went to Walt Disney World for their senior trip.

Walker is now a sophomore at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga in the nursing program, where Justin was also attending classes. He took time off last year because of the pandemic, and also to pursue a music career under the moniker SmokeLyfe Sto.

“It was something he was really passionate about, and he was actually very good. A lot of people in Clarksville loved it,” Walker said.

Justin’s older sister, Lauren Sawyer, spoke to the crowd as well.

“I’m just overwhelmed with so much joy to see that my brother was so loved. He really is a good person, and what everyone up here is saying is the honest truth. We’re going to miss him so much, and I just want to say thank you all, from the bottom of my heart. I love everyone,” Lauren said.

Relief

The vigil was originally organized by Justin’s friends to gather and pray that he would be found, and that he would be brought back home two months after he was first reported missing.

His body was found near Spring Creek at the end of Kennedy Road on March 2.

Pastor Alphonse Prather of the led the group in words of prayer, and mentioned the family’s efforts over the last three months to find Justin, including the search party held in Oak Grove, Kentucky on Feb. 6.

“Initially, we were coming out to have what we called ‘Bring justice home’ (vigil), but prior to that, we all met at the Governor’s Square Mall and we had a search party and people went to look for him, and we prayed that we’d find his body. We didn’t at that particular time. But how many know that a prayer delayed is not a prayer denied?” Pastor Prather said over a loudspeaker to those who gathered.

Pastor Prather then performed “A Change Is Gonna Come” by Sam Cook at the request of Justin’s mother, Tracy Jackson.

“Such kind words definitely described him well because that is who he really was,” Tracy said of the testimonies to her son’s character.

Much of Justin’s extended family traveled from Georgia to attend as well.

“Just to see the people he touched here, it’s remarkable,” Justin’s uncle, Darriet Jackson, told Clarksville Now. “I’m just so, so relieved that we found him and that now we can take him to his final resting place.”

The vigil ended when friends and family gathered to write messages on white lanterns to send off up to the sky. They watched arm-in-arm as the lanterns floated up over the Cumberland River.

What’s next

The three men believed to have played a role in Justin’s death are facing charges in Christian County, Kentucky, and their next court date is April 28.

Dawuan Davis, 20, of Clarksville, and Marquell Devont’e Sims, 22, of Oak Grove were charged with robbery, kidnapping (with serious physical injury) and assault. Davis remains incarcerated at the Christian County Jail, while Sims was released with an ankle monitor.

Gene “Doug” Henry, 36, of Oak Grove was charged with abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence, and making bail he was released on his own recognizance.

Law enforcement is still struggling with the issue of jurisdiction when it comes to moving forward with murder charges.

While the crimes that all three suspects are charged with in Christian County happened in Kentucky according to court records, and the body was found in Clarksville, it is still unknown where Sawyer was killed.

“I actually met with (investigators) today, and they were just giving me reports and stuff like that, but nothing right now. They’re still trying to figure out the jurisdiction thing because the FBI might take it up,” Tracy said.

The Medical Examiner’s Office in Nashville has not released Justin’s body to his family yet. A frustrated Tracy Jackson added that she didn’t know when her son’s funeral would be.

“I guess they’ll have it sorted out soon,” Tracy said.