Jori’s slaying sends ripples through Thibodaux, beyond

The brutal murder of 7-year-old Jori Lirette provoked a barrage of support and evoked a range of emotion beginning in the Thibodaux community and later swelling throughout the state, region and nation.

Jeremiah Lee Wright, 30, 414 W. Seventh St., Thibodaux, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder after he allegedly confessed to police that he decapitated and dismembered his special-needs son.

Hundreds of people gathered under the Peltier Park pavilion Sunday night and lit a candle in memory of Jori, a breathtaking moment in the culmination of grief and community support. “In a way, it’s a protest to the crime,” said a man familiar with the family who did not want to be named.

In attendance were people of every age, race and creed. Members of a motorcycle social club revved their engines at the start of the ceremony, toddlers sat on laps of parents, high-school students held a candle close to their heart, a grandmother sang in the choir, and a boy in a wheelchair watched from the periphery.

Grown men were wrought with tears, and a mother hung her head, clenched her eyes shut and swayed to “Amazing Grace,” as the dwindling evening light highlighted the intensity in her face.

Those in attendance said they were drawn in by the crime’s circumstances, Jori’s age, his medical condition and the brutal manner in which he was killed.

“It kind of puts something heavier in your heart to know how he did it,” Dana Aucoin, 42, said. “It’s like, ‘How dare you?’ How dare somebody do such a senseless act on an innocent child?”

Twenty-four hours after the murder, five stuffed animals, one balloon, a Burger King paper crown and a lit candle had been placed at the base of the blue home’s concrete porch.

Forty-eight hours later, the ode to Jori spanned the length of the porch, including at least 50 helium-filled balloons and a string of stuffed animals that left no gap throughout the stretch of candles, hats, toys, lollipops and hand-written messages.

“This says a lot about our community because people are able to put aside their differences and come together as one,” said Aucoin, a lifelong Thibodaux resident. “The camaraderie of the city is still alive.”

“We’re a tight-knit community and our people stick together,” Angie Dardar, 46, said. “It just shows the love we still have for one another.”

Parents with no relation to the Lirette family said they were overwhelmed when they heard the news. Some clutched their children more tightly and others, like Aucoin, saw the hurt in their children’s eyes and decided to bind together with the community and show their support.

Tamika Johnson lived in the west Thibodaux neighborhood before she moved her family to Gonzales. Last week, she was photographing Jori’s memorial with her iPhone to share with her sons, 9 and 14 years old.

“They were upset after finding out just how young he was and that he was a special-needs child,” Johnson said. “It just really affected them.”

Lacretia Sanders removed a stringed crucifix from around her neck and draped it over a porcelain angel at the edge of the porch. The crucifix was a gift from her fiance, a memento that she parted with because of her relationship with children. “I’m always around kids, nephews, nieces and friends. Something like this isn’t supposed to happen.”

Doris Parks, of Houma, had read about the tragedy in the newspaper and seen it on television. She couldn’t avoid passing by the scene during a trip to Thibodaux, and while she stood over the memorial, she was moved to tears. “This is unreal,” she said.

Lydia Moore, who resides on nearby Ridgefield Road, said she had to contribute to the memorial “because of how sad the story is. It’s not right for a child to suffer. You see it on TV, but you never expect something like this to happen in your neighborhood.”

Shantell Harris, of Thibodaux, brought her 4-year-old son so he could deposit a brown, stuffed teddy bear at the memorial. “You never expect something like that to happen to a child,” she said. “After seeing it, he really wanted to bring something.”

Qunnita Holmes, of Thibodaux, said as the mother of a young child, Jori’s death hit home. “I have a son,” she said. “I don’t want something like that to ever happen to an innocent child.”

Grief knows no bounds. The men and women hired to police the city who worked on the case, including the police chief, are being required to attend mandatory grief counseling sessions.

“Obviously, it has had an effect on these individuals,” Police Chief Scott Silverii said. “I mean, everyone is a parent or a family member, so there has been some level of grief.”

A Baton Rouge church group stopped by the family’s home last week to drop off an assortment of junk food, water and Gatorade, according to Dale Lirette, Jori’s grandfather.

“It’s beautiful,” Dale Lirette said. “It’s very touching. People from everywhere, people who didn’t even know Jori, have showed their support.”

The family is accepting donations to cover funeral expenses under the Jori Lirette fund at Whitney Bank area branches.

Jesslyn Lirette, Jori’s mother, also opened an account at Capital One Bank named Aftershock. Money deposited into this account will be for Jesslyn’s personal expenses, including housing and new furniture, she said.

Doris Parks, of Houma, visits the Jori Lirette memorial outside the residence in which he lived and was slain by his 30-year-old father, Jeremiah Lee Wright, at 414 W. Seventh St. ERIC BESSON