Candlelight vigil held Wednesday in Bolingbrook for 3 victims of Sunday’s triple murder

“Very sweet and laid back” is how Mya Hernandez, 17, of Bolingbrook described her friend Samiya Shelton-Tillman, 17, whom she met as a freshman.

Hernandez was one of about 120 people who came out to the grounds of the DuPage Township Center building Wednesday night for a candlelight vigil in memory of Shelton-Tillman, Cartez Daniels, 40, and Sanai Daniels, who were killed Sunday at a residence in the 100 block of Lee Lane in Bolingbrook.

The more Hernandez talked about Shelton-Tillman, the more she brightened.

“Ah, her voice,” Hernandez said with a sweet smile of her own. “It was so nice.”

Byrion Montgomery, 17, of Bolingbrook was charged with first-degree murder in the triple murders. Montgomery also was charged with attempted murder in the shooting of Tania Stewart, a woman who was in the home. Montgomery has pleaded not guilty.

Bolingbrook residents Kathy Freeburg and Teresa Martin organized the candlelight vigil. Neither knew the victims but said they needed to show the family they were not alone in their sorrow.

Freeburg said she and Martin are planning to start a GoFundMe page to help the family pay for three unexpected funerals.

“The community has to pull together,” Freeburg said.

Martin said she was stunned when she heard the news.

“I felt the need to bring the community together to show the family we are more than a community,” Martin said. “We’re a family.”

Diana Gonzalez of Bolingbrook didn’t know the family, but she said she lives nearby and has walked in the area. She came out with her two children, Natalie Marquez, 9, who was holding a candle, and her son Viv Marquez, 13.

Gonzalez, who said she also has an 18-year-old son, stressed to her children the importance of showing support. Natalie said she came out, “because I’m a nice kid.”

Hayden Lindsey, youth pastor of Living Water Community Church in Bolingbrook, wove among the crowd, distributing small pins of red and black ribbons. Lindsey said the tragedy happened to youth in the population he serves.

“I wanted to be here,” Lindsey said.

Jackie Sanchez, 21, of Bolingbrook sat off to the side with a large bouquet of flowers. She, too, didn’t know the family. But Sanchez felt community service shouldn’t end with high school graduation.

“I still want to be there for the people I grew up with,” Sanchez said.

Attendees huddled near the gazebo at 5:30 p.m. as Bolingbrook Village Trustee Sheldon L. Watts opened the vigil by introducing the speakers and saying, “I’m confident Bolingbrook will stand together as it does in trying times.”

A tearful Martin had few words. She asked for a moment of silence for the victims and then led the attendees into singing “Amazing Grace.”

Liz Campbell, a member of the Valley View board of education, praised Jesus for taking away hurt and pain and prayed for forgiveness.

“Lord God, forgive us this day, God,” Campbell prayed. “We’ve not loved one another. We’ve not helped on another.”

The Rev. Elmer Harris, chaplain for the Bolingbrook Police Department, prayed that God would “touch this family in the difficult days ahead of them.”

“Father, we need to stop this violence,” Harris prayed, “all this evil and unnecessary violence.”

—  "Father, we need to stop this violence, all this evil and unnecessary violence." Elmer Harris, chaplain for the Bolingbrook Police Department

Jeremiah Stingl, lead pastor at Living Water Community Church in Bolingbrook, asked everyone present to give the Bolingbrook Police Department “a round of applause” because they “saved a life on Sunday.”

Stingl also reminded people that Jesus is the light of the world and said the candles represented unity against the darkness “so we can see Your bright light shine in our community once again.”

Tomika Reed, a family member of the victims, cried into the microphone at life opportunities that were stolen from her loved ones, at the level of hate in the world, but also said, “this community does show up for each other.”

“Nobody should see a news report like this on a Sunday and recognize the house,” Reed said.

Mary Alexander-Basta, the mayor of Bolingbrook, assured anyone hurting that the community would support them. She encouraged attendees to stop in the DuPage Township Center building before they left and write notes to the family to help in the healing process.

Zilzah F. Trotter, pastor of One Kingdom Worship Ministries, exhorted the youth to seize good opportunities and prayed for schools to provide them.

Bolingbrook police officials previously said Montgomery was in a dating relationship with Shelton-Tillman and the incident was considered an alleged domestic-related home invasion.

Police and prosecutors have not released further details on the motive or the events leading up to the Sunday slayings.

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A group of young women stand together a candlelight vigil for the victims of the March 5th shooting on Wednesday, March 8th, 2023 in Bolingbrook. (Gary Middendorf – gmiddendorf@shawmedia/Gary Middendorf)