‘You’ve given us strength’: Mom of murder victim Taylor Marshall thanks the community

One month after her daughter was murdered, Shirley Marshall says she has found comfort in the kindness shown by family, friends and complete strangers as she and her family grieve the loss of Taylor.

Shirley penned a letter to the community on a Facebook page dedicated to seeking justice for her daughter, who was killed Sept. 7 in her John Street apartment.

"The first month was a whirlwind while we received updates on the investigation and made arrangements for Taylor’s funeral,” Shirley wrote in the letter. ”Now, that things are quieter, I’d like to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude to the people of Sault Ste Marie who’ve supported us in countless ways. You’ve given us strength during this most unimaginable time. You’ve held us up with your beautiful words, hugs and shared tears.”

In an interview Tuesday with SooToday, Shirley said it was important to let the community know that even in the darkest moment for her family, the people of Sault Ste. Marie showed their best side.

“I wanted to let the community know how much they have held us up in the last four weeks. All of the little things they said, even if they felt helpless, that it did mean something and is helping us to get through this,” she said. “There was a little bit of sadness that came down on our community when that happened and I wanted to give thanks because the community is not broken — that ugliness is not going to take over the beauty of our community.”

In the letter, she thanks the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service, Victim Services, Victim Witness Services, and local businesses that provided support. She called friends and family her "pillar of support."

“My family is amazing. I always know I have those people if I need them,” Shirley said in the interview. “I feel completely blessed that I have people like this in my life, I can’t imaging doing this by myself.”

Shirley started the Justice for Taylor Marshall Facebook group last month as a place for people to share memories of her daughter and keep people informed about the complicated homicide case ahead for the man accused of the murder. She encourages anyone who wants to keep up-to-date on the case or share memories of Taylor to request to join.

"We are so heartbroken that our Taylor has been taken so senselessly," Shirley wrote on Sept. 15, in the initial post on the group. "Her father, myself, her brothers Cody and Spencer and all of our family will forever have a piece of our hearts missing."

Shirley calls members of the group "Taylor’s Army" and chose a heart in her daughter’s favourite colour purple for the graphics.

“Taylor’s Army is going to be a group of people who are aware of what happened and are willing and wanting to know what the updates are and want justice for Taylor, want her name to not be in vain, to never disappear or go away,” said Shirley. “That this is important, she matters and that she will be supported.”

Shirley also hopes that together, the concerned citizens of Sault Ste. Marie can relay the message that anything less than a maximum sentence will not be acceptable.

“This is a community of 75,000 people and we want it to be safe and protected and we don’t want to be worried there are people in our community who are going to be able to hurt the people that we love,” said Shirley. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think, growing up in Gros Cap, that this is something I would ever have to worry about for my daughter.”

Shirley said she knows there is a long legal process yet to play out. The accused, Steven Jones, is expected back in court Oct. 19 for a bail hearing for the murder, as well as in an attempted murder charge for a knife attack on the boardwalk that seriously injured a Sault Ste. Marie man.

“Sadly, there is much more pain to come when the trial begins and we unravel all the questions about what happened to our sweet Taylor,” she wrote in her letter.

In the interview, Shirley said her family has been uplifted by the posting of photographs and videos on the Facebook page, mostly by Taylor’s young friends.

“Between a mom and a 22-year-old you don’t get to see those intimate things between friends and it’s making me so proud she was such a good person, because that’s all you want as a mother,” said Shirley. “It feels like she really did impact peoples’ lives and the people that she knew really cared for her.”

A funeral for Taylor was held on Sept. 22, in which friends and family were asked to wear her favourite colour.

“Everyone at the funeral wore purple something — it was just such a huge show of support,” said Shirley.

Kelsey Scott, one of Taylor’s close friends, created a special design in remembrance and Shirley recently had it tattooed on her back. It includes a sun and a scorpion holding Taylor’s birth flower.

“It’s my very first tattoo and probably the only one I will ever have but it was worth it,” said Shirley. “It’s so elegant and just a beautiful tribute to Taylor.”