LONGVIEW, Texas — The 188th Judicial District courtroom in the Gregg County Courthouse was dimly lit Tuesday night. But directly in front of the judge’s stand was an illuminated Christmas tree.
One by one, families made their way to the tree to hang ornaments honoring a loved one: maybe a son, a daughter, a father, a mother, a sister or a brother whose life was snuffed out by an act of violence.
“Many of the times, the criminal justice system ends up being about the defendant, when it shouldn’t be,” said Gregg County District Attorney John Moore. “This is about the victims. This represents the victims and their family because they’re the ones that have truly lost something. It’s innocence lost, is what it is. They’ve lost something, not of their own volition.”
PHOTOS: Gregg County Tree of Angels
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