Valley Springs Taking Stock After Community Rocked By Brother Murdering Sister
VALLEY SPRINGS (CBS13) — The former hometown of a teen found guilty of stabbing his little sister to death is taking stock, two and a half years after the murder.
Valley Springs has been through a lot, from the early reports of a killer on the loose to the shock of a young boy arrested.
"You don't think in a small town that would happen," Alexis Johnson said.
She's lived in Valley Springs her whole life, but she says the murder of 8-year-old Leila Fowler shook the community to its core.
On Tuesday, a judge found 15-year-old Isiah Fowler responsible for the death of his sister. He was 12 at the time. It was an end to the mystery, but not the pain.
"You don't never want to think that it child as your own could harm someone they love," said longtime resident Kathy Brandy.
She remembers the day of the murder when the manhunt was on for the killer. Isiah told officers he saw a stranger run from the home and hearing his sister scream. Another neighbor said they saw someone running away, but investigators later found that witness to be unreliable.
"We were fearful someone was loose that could harm someone else," she said.
Investigators found DNA and other evidence that pointed to Isiah.
Fowler's parents plan to appear the case, and have since moved out of the community.
Valley Springs is ready to move on too. Residents say it will heal. They have compassion for the Fowler family's new pain, grieving for the loss of not just one just child, but two.
Fowler will be sentenced on Nov. 4.