THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 30, 1995 TAG: 9507290099
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY ANGELITA PLEMMER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 147 lines
MORE THAN a year after the fatal shooting of their son, Mark Wendell Smith, Leonard and Carolyn Smith still ask ``Why?''
On Dec. 12, 1993, police were called to the 900 block of Garfield St., where two men were found slumped over in the front seat of a car.
Mark Smith, 29, of the 800 block of Woodshire Court in Chesapeake, was found dead in the driver's seat, his left foot still hanging out of the car door that was left ajar.
He had been shot in the back of the head alongside his boyhood friend, Walter ``David'' Dunn, 28, of Portsmouth.
``You just live with a whole lot of hurt the rest of your life, which may ease up some but not a lot,'' said Leonard Smith, looking at a photo of his son on the wall. ``I try not to be bitter . . . I just thank the good Lord we had him for 29 years.''
Smith, 65, is retired from Norshipco. His wife, a homemaker, is 60.
Police still have no leads and no motive to explain the murder of their son - a former Navy man who loved music, had a paper route as a young boy, and played the cymbals as a high school student in the I.C. Norcom band.
In spite of an offer of a $1,000 reward by the parents, police still have been unable to make an arrest to close the case.
``It would help a little bit if we just knew why and who,'' Leonard White said, sitting in living room of his modest Shea Terrace home that is decorated with photos of their son, two remaining daughters and two granddaughters. ``It would certainly assure me (the culprit) wasn't out there killing somebody else.''
But in spite of their unanswered questions, the Smiths have found some comfort and solace in the company of other families who have suffered similar losses through a fledgling support group - Survivors of Victims of Homicide.
Every fourth Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m., the Smiths meet with a half dozen other mothers, fathers and other family members who have lost someone to a violent crime.
Since January, 19 people have been victims of homicide in the city. Last year, there were 23 homicides. In 1993, 24 people died as a result of a violent act, a slight decrease from the 36 homicides in 1992.
Although the number of violent deaths appears to be decreasing, the office of the Commonwealth's Attorney began the group in February to provide survivors with a way to express and confront their feelings of grief.
``It's hard for many of us to understand the special problems and needs of survivors of homicides,'' said Commonwealth's Attorney Martin Bullock. ``It's nothing that most of us can ever say we've been through before.''
``When the families and friends of the survivors come together, they have a way of ministering to each other,'' Bullock said. ``Because many of them have common experiences, they're able to help each other.''
Without any additional funding, Portsmouth's group is run by staffers in the office's Victim Witness department who provide help to victims throughout the legal process. Norfolk is the only other city with a similar program.
In order to cut costs, a trained, licensed clinical social worker volunteered to meet with the group each month to guide dicussions on the grieving process, children's issues with death and grief, their spirituality and, sometimes, more technical legal matters related to the court system.
Derwin Harris, director of therapeutic foster care at the Barry Robinson Child and Family Guidance Center, leads the group through various therapeutic exercises to help them cope with a loss than can be more emotionally devastating because of the way in which their loved one died.
``It's called complicated bereavement because of the nature in which their loved ones were murdered,'' Harris said. ``It just has a greater impact on them emotionally.''
The trauma of such a loss can manifest itself in a number of ways as people undergo various stages of grief - such as anger, guilt, denial and, eventually, acceptance.
``Sometimes they abandon family members because they're so absorbed in the grieving process,'' Harris said. ``One (participant), she cut all of her children off and she would just stay in her room . . . She just shut down.
In other instances, ``some families go through anger and depression and rage and they even talk about some of their rage, especially the thoughts that they have in reference to the perpetrator,'' he said.
Munching on light refreshments of ginger ale and chocolate chip cookies in the second floor lounge of the Victim Witness office, participants slowly begin to work through their feelings, sometimes sharing intimate details of their lives and families.
One concern raised by many of the group's participants is the failure to see an arrest or any suspect appear in court. In most cases, the murders remain unsolved.
Last spring, Portsmouth had the area's highest violent-crime rate. This year, it was listed as one of the top 25 cities by murder rate in the country.
And to the chagrin of the group's members, a recent analysis of regional murders determined that the city solved only 40 percent of 1994's homicides. It is the lowest percentage in Hampton Roads.
``One of our major problems with respect to homicides is the apathy and unwillingness of witnesses who could help us,'' Bullock said. ``We cannot charge or prosecute anyone until we've got witnesses to come forward.
``In many instances, we can't provide witness protection for many witnesses and that scares people away. And let's face it, as time goes on, if we're not fortunate enough to get an arrest as soon as the homicide occurs, our opportunity to try to charge someone lessens tremendously.''
As a result, feelings of anger and frustration can intensify, added Jackie Mackee, head of the office's Victim Witness program.
``They feel like the system has let them down plus they've lost someone that they love,'' she said. ``But, as a group, they start to share and they start to realize that they're not going through what they're going through alone.''
And the first step towards the healing for most members, is being able to talk about it.
``Everyone grieves in different ways,'' Leonard Smith said during the group's most recent meeting. ``We want the world to know that while most everyone has forgotten the loved ones we've lost, we certainly haven't.''
``All of us hate to have anything taken from us, added new member, Gloria Rollins Branton. ``But when someone just takes a life . . . it hurts you more.''
Branton, a Virginia Beach resident, came to the meeting for the first time to discuss the recent loss of her nephew, 25-year-old Earl Harris.
In April, Harris was found dead by police on Effingham Street after he was shot in the head during a robbery.
``I always constantly talk to him,'' Bane told group members. ``It's like I keep him close and talk to him all the time.''
``And it's perfectly all right for you do that,'' interjected Carolyn Smith.
Harris, a laborer at Newport News Shipbuilding, lived with Branton and her husband for two and a half years in their Virginia Beach home. Now, three months after his death, Branton said she still finds it difficult to let go.
``When someone that young dies like that, you feel like they haven't reached the peak of their life,'' she said during an interview at her mother's Portsmouth home. ``You want to see them grow up, get married and have children.
``If anybody had told me that I would outlive him, I wouldn't believe it.''
For most of the families, the victims are young - under the age of 30 - which can cause additional stress and difficulty coping.
``That makes it even more traumatic,'' Harris said. ``I do think that intensifies a person's grief or loss.''
But the main goal of the group is to empower family members and turn negative energies into something positive, he said.
``One way is by advocating, talking to local officials, lawyers, and politicians to change laws and to get more crime-related convictions for persons who do commit violent crimes,'' Harris said. ``There are lots of ways they can help.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo on cover
Staff photo by MARK MITCHELL
Carolyn and Leonard Smith with a photo of their son Mark, who was
slain in 1993. The killing is still unsolved.
by CNB