Sept. 25 is set aside to honor murder victims and their families. In the Shoals, a special prayer vigil took place at the Lauderdale County Courthouse for the National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims.

The nonprofit, Victims of Crime and Leniency of The Shoals, known as VOCAL, organized the event. The organization's president, Lorien Watson, shared her personal experience with loss which led her to join VOCAL.

Watson explained her high school sweetheart, Michael Moore Watson, was murdered in their front yard back in 2018. She says the justice process was a lengthy one, with the trial for her late husband's accused murderer scheduled nearly four years later.

After several court delays, a jury found the defendant guilty of murder in 2022. At that moment, Watson says she felt called t

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