On January 22, 2022, our lives changed in the most terrifying and unexpected way possible, with the loss of our daughter and sister.
Warning: This article contains references to sexual harm.
I don’t think anyone can measure the great pain we still go through today.
Juliana, an extraordinary, beautiful and kind woman, with a great heart willing to always give, is gone, but her spirit will always be among us.
There will not be enough words to describe how hard it has been to face the suffering we have been through. There will never be enough words to erase the pain from our hearts.
We will not talk about justice. This tragedy should have never happened to Juliana and she should still be alive. We still have hope that her departure is not in vain, that her departure has set off the alarms and is a warning to prevent these types of cases in the future. We hope that greater attention is paid to the mental health of people in all stages of life; procedural errors are corrected in all organizations so that future tragedies can be avoided. We trust that her loss will have an impact on these organizations and their procedures. Because it is our right to feel safe, especially in our own homes and because no one has the right to take another person’s life.
We will always be missing one of us; we will be missing Juliana.
Our eternal gratitude to all the people who, in good faith, approached us to offer their support and have supported us from a distance. To the team of police, investigators, and lawyers who did a fantastic job, as well as the Victim Support team and Juliana’s friends and colleagues who were amazing to our family. To the population of Christchurch who, without knowing Juliana, also felt this loss as their own.
We can be sure of one thing: That all the love people showered Juliana with, when she was alive and after she was taken from us. Will never be known by the person who took her away.
Lastly, don’t forget Juliana so that history doesn’t repeat itself.
We appreciate your respect for our privacy at this painful time.
– From Juliana’s family.
Joseph Brider sentenced for murder
A convicted rapist, Joseph Brider, pleaded guilty to a raft of sexual charges and murder and was sentenced to preventative detention for Herrera’s murder.
Court documents show Brider had been released from prison for a previous violent rape just 72 days before he killed Colombian woman Herrera.
Snip snip ✂️
Take his weapon away. It’s the only way to cure him.