A Japanese cherry tree is beginning to bloom for the first time on a grassy knoll beside the soccer pitch at Westview secondary.
Planted more than two years ago in memory of Shannon Raymond, its roots have finally taken hold. Tiny buds shiver in a chilly spring wind, waiting to burst into blossom.
“When Shannon died, it was very expensive to purchase a formal memorial site. This was all I could afford,” says her mom, Julie Raymond.
Shannon, 16, was found dead at 6 a.m. on July 26, 2008 at Victoria Turley’s home in Maple Ridge after attending a party on a bus.
Turley now faces one count of failure to provide the necessities of life in connection with her death – a charge laid under a rarely used section of the Canadian Criminal Code.
Her trial begins next year.
Ridge Meadows RCMP will not say how Raymond died, but allege she was in the care of the accused and was in medical distress, which Turley failed to address.
The tree planted at Shannon’s high school is the same species of Sakura planted for her dad, who died when she was six. His stands near a soccer field in Vancouver, where he kicked a ball around during his lunch hour.
Decked in purple – Shannon’s favourite colour – the tree is a place of solace for her family and friends. It is where they gather when they miss her. It’s where they leave her messages and tiny gifts – angels, bright purple flowers, two stuffed toy penguins, coins with the words ‘I love you’.
“We like it because you can sit by the tree honouring Shannon and watch a soccer game,” said her mom.
But on Sunday night, when Shannon’s mother visited the tree, she knew something was amiss. The mementoes looked out of place in the dark. When she returned in daylight on Monday afternoon, she realized the memorial had been vandalized.
Glassed vases had been smashed to bits, potted plants turned over and trampled on, the coins with messages stolen, along with a photograph. The whole mess was gathered into a pile and topped with a crudely fashioned cross made of bull rushes. Under the mess, a pile of dog excrement.
“I can’t even comprehend what would possess somebody to do that,” said Raymond.
“What else could you possible do to dishonour Shannon and hurt Danielle [Shannon’s sister] and myself? For us, it is a grave site.”
• Anyone who witnessed the vandalism or suspicious people near the tree on Sunday, March 26 are asked to call Ridge Meadows RCMP at 604-463-6251.