Memorial unveiled at conference for parents of murdered children

Most of them aren't related, but hundreds of people gathered at the JW Marriott in Summerlin this week bonded over a different kind of connection.

The National Organization of Parents of Murdered Children kicked off it's national conference Thursday night with a ceremony to unveil panels from the nonprofit's Murder Wall memorial.

"It's really like a family reunion in a sense," said Dan Levey, the group's executive director.

More than 300 group leaders and members from the organization's 60 chapters across the U.S. attended. They wore T-shirts and pins in honor of family members who died. They chatted, hugged and sometimes cried throughout the kickoff memorial ceremony.

"We're primarily a support group," Levey said. "It's very therapeutic to know you're not alone."

A Las Vegas police honor guard presented the flags and walked around the ballroom to unveil more than 30 Murder Walls panels. The small group of officers saluted each individual panel, honoring 3,840 homicide victims who were made part of the exhibit through the efforts of family members.

Metro Deputy Chief Tom Roberts thanked those present for their dedication to victim advocacy. Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo is expected to speak to the group Friday morning.

The nonprofit's leaders offer more than emotional support to the families of murder victims. They go to court with them and petition against early release for the murderers. They advocate against depictions of murder for entertainment purposes and lobby for victims' rights legislation. They sometimes help grieving families get a second opinion on the police investigation.

Each case is different, but there's a common denominator for everyone in the room, Levey said, himself included. They've all gotten that one call that changed everything. Levey found his way to the nonprofit after his brother was killed in a random attack in Phoenix in 1996.

Community center director Fred Harvey, 51, of Saginaw, Mich., helps run one of the organization's chapters. His son, Frederick Jones-Harvey, was murdered alongside his nephew, Marcus Buckley, in July 27, 2012. Jones-Harvey had returned home from college for a visit and was sitting outside when they were killed. The case was never solved.

Harvey told Levey that he never expected to become a community leader.

"At the time it happened, I couldn't even remember how to smile," he said. But the fellowship gave him an opportunity to ask other people for advice on getting by.

"It's a deep love thing," Harvey said.

"We're in this together," Levey said.

The National Organization of Parents of Murdered Children does not have a chapter in Southern Nevada, but Levey said they are working on creating one. Anyone interested in the group can find it online at www.pomc.com.

Contact Wesley Juhl at wjuhl@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0391. Find him on Twitter: @WesJuhl.