Candlelight vigil held for 16-year-old Ashton girl police say was killed by boyfriend

OREGON — Family and friends of a former Oregon High School student, who police say was strangled to death by her boyfriend in Ashton, held a candlelight vigil in her memory Sunday, Oct. 27, in Oregon.

“Thank you all for being here,” said Jordan Garcia of Oregon, the mother of Jaedyn Hill. “She loved you all so much. She is definitely going to be missed.”

Hill, 16, was found dead Oct. 15 in the Ashton apartment that she shared with her boyfriend, David J. Sosa, 17, who also is a former Oregon High School student.

Sosa is charged with killing Hill and is being charged as an adult, according to court documents.

“She was my baby angel,” said Jaedyn’s grandmother, Monica Hill of Kentucky.

Garcia said Jaedyn was her “shopping buddy” and thanked everyone who attended the vigil on a chilly night near the Oregon High School to remember Jaedyn.

“I don’t want you to think of her as a victim. I want her to be remembered for much more,” Garcia said. “She was my sunshine.”

Heidi Zimmerman of Oregon, a friend of the family, said whenever anyone buys shoes they should think of Jaedyn. “She loved new shoes,” Zimmerman said.

Lee County sheriff’s deputies found Hill dead in her apartment after they received a call from Rochelle police officers at 7 a.m. Oct. 15, when they said a teenager, later identified as Sosa, had walked into their lobby at about 6:45 a.m. and said he was involved in a murder.

As a result, Lee County deputies went to 702 Richardson Ave., Apt. A, in Ashton, for a welfare check and found Hill’s body in the apartment. Sosa and Hill, who were in a dating relationship, resided at the apartment, Lee County Sheriff Clay Whelan said in a news release. The couple also share a child together who is living with relatives.

According to court documents, Sosa is accused of placing a belt around Hill’s neck and strangling her to the point of asphyxiation. He then walked 11 miles from Ashton to Rochelle to turn himself in at the police department. Deputies found Hill’s body on the floor in the southeast bedroom of the two-bedroom apartment with a belt around her neck and a knife on the floor near her body, court documents say.

An Oct. 16 autopsy conducted by the Peoria County Coroner’s Office preliminarily determined that strangulation was the cause of Hill’s death.

Sosa appeared in Lee County court Oct. 16 and was remanded to the Kane County Juvenile Detention Center. His next court appearance is a preliminary hearing set for 10:30 a.m. Nov. 7.

Garcia asked the 60 people who attended Sunday’s vigil to also keep Sosa’s family in their prayers.

“They lost a child too. It’s rough on both sides,” Garcia said.

Hill’s obituary can be viewed at www.finchfuneral.com.