In 2008, when a 21-year-old woman was found slain outside a waste water treatment plant, it stunned and saddened a southern Alabama community that doesn’t often see such violent crime.

In this piece, I covered a variety of perspectives: police, family, friends, and even a counselor’s thoughts on post-mortem social media posts. The goal is always to humanize a crime story; not revictimize the victim. She had a name. She had hobbies. She had friends. Her life involved more than her death, and journalists should show that.

Originally published in The Daphne Bulletin. Preserved here: