If she were alive today, Brenda Wright Lafferty would be 35 years old. Even though she aspired to a career in broadcast journalism, her friends believe she would have remained a homemaker - and would probably still be married to Allen Lafferty.
"She was very determined and committed to make things work," her good friend, Malinda Overman, said. "She was a person who held out a lot of hope."Brenda and Allen Lafferty's daughter, Erica, would be 12, starting to move toward independence that young teens seek. She would probably be her mother's best friend.
Instead, both are buried together in one casket in a rural cemetery in Kimberly, Idaho. Their memories live on, and thoughts of what they could have become continually haunt family members.
Many of those family members traveled to Provo Monday to again hear the gruesome details of the deaths of their daughter, granddaughter, sister and niece. Most still have vivid memories of the early morning telephone call they received on July 25, 1984, when they learned that Brenda and Erica Lafferty had been found with their throats slashed.
Some family members have suffered from post-traumatic-stress syndrome. Others have suffered from other serious ill-nesses. After almost 12 years of healing, many might wonder why Brenda's parents and four of her six sisters would want to sit in court and have those wounds reopened."The thing that makes it difficult is that there has never been a closure to it," said Bonnie Weweres, one of Brenda's six sisters. "Right when you feel like some healing has taken place, something opens the wounds up again."
Even though it's painful, they say Brenda and Erica Lafferty must be represented in court. They also want attorneys and police to know their long efforts to bring about justice are appreciated.
"It's kind of a sacrifice, but we want to show support for those working on the case," said Jim Wright, Brenda's father.
When Allen Lafferty appeared in court Monday, well-dressed and with his long hair pulled back into a pony tail, it was the first time many of Brenda Lafferty's family had seen him since Christmas 1984. He is now remarried and living in Southern California. Outside the courtroom following his testimony, he greeted Brenda's father and hugged some of her sisters.
Still, the Wright family is hesitant to discuss their feelings about Allen or to say whether they believe the killings could have been prevented. Brenda's father said he feels sorry for Allen and considers him a victim as well.
"We've done our best not to be judgmental in Allen's case," Wright said.
The family also wouldn't reveal any bad feelings toward the man accused of killing Brenda. They said they're confident justice will eventually be served, if not on this earth, then in the hereafter.
"We've tried very hard not to create hatred or animosity because we know what it can do to people," Brenda's father said.