Today the verdict came in. GUILTY.
Waves of relief flooded over people in the courtroom and all over a collective sigh happened I'm sure as the news spread. I was not there. I'm in Oregon, thousands of miles away. But I still feel connected to the family, to Nettie's friends. There has been such a united front of support this entire time, and it is a blessing from above.
It is not a happy time. It is not something anyone should have to experience. It is not something anyone should be prepared for because it is a terrible, horrible thing.
I have found myself looking inward lately. Wondering why I feel so strongly about this. I hadn't seen Nettie in a decade at least. The reason I have stumbled upon is this: Nettie was a good person. I said it in my previous blog about her. Everyone liked her. That is why it rocked us to the core to see someone like that taken from us. It makes no sense. And it will never make sense as it was wrong and evil to take her from this life.
I am happy to know that the family can start down the road to closure. They will ALWAYS miss Nettie because she was the kind of person that you miss (I typed "is" first...strange how the mind does that). The important thing now is that they continue to feel loved and supported, and I have no doubt that they will. I'm proud to be a part of a community who has rallied around in prayer and love for the Petersons. I am thankful that the trial has concluded in this way. And I am proud to say that Nettie was my friend.
