LIVERPOOL -- Hundreds of people stood silent during a candlelight vigil at Liverpool High School Saturday night to remember the life of Jenni-Lyn Watson.
It’s where she graduated from high school in 2008, before attending Mercyhurst College in Pennsylvania to major in dance.
The 20-year-old was home for Thanksgiving Break, when police say she was murdered by her ex-boyfriend, Steven Pieper. They say the community has been a huge help in the investigation.
Earlier in the week, friends, family and neighbors took to the streets to hand out flyers seemingly everywhere – from Lights on the Lake to the Home for the Holidays celebration in Clinton Square. Even Jenni-Lyn’s neighborhood was covered with yellow ribbons, as neighbors prayed for a safe return.
But that support wasn’t limited to Central New York. The Mercyhurst College community kept hope, praying Jenni-Lyn would be back in school after the break.
And on the Internet, more than 27,000 people have joined a Facebook page dedicated to Jenni-Lyn.
On her MySpace page, Jenni-Lyn writes she’s usually pretty happy, especially at college. She also includes a quote, writing, “Life is too short to be unhappy, you have to take the good with the bad, smile when you’re sad.”
It’s something the community is trying to do as it copes with the heart-wrenching loss.
