Friends, Relatives Remember Family Killed In Villa Park
Updated 01/18/12 - 6:25 p.m.
VILLA PARK, Ill. (CBS) -- One of the four people who was shot to death and then set on fire in a home in unincorporated Villa Park was honored at his high school on Wednesday.
Meantime, the sister of the woman killed in the massacre said she never saw her sister's boyfriend as a threat, although she didn't like him either.
Anderson then went to his father's home in south suburban Dolton, where he was found dead of an apparent suicide.
As WBBM Newsradio's Mike Krauser reports, Darnell's classmates created a memorial to Darnell in front of Willowbrook High School on Wednesday.
The principal and Darnell's teachers and coaches got together in a classroom to talk about the freshman.
"He was simply a present," said Willowbrook principal Dan Krause, who met with the boy's teachers and coaches on Wednesday to talk about Darnell's death.
"He will be deeply missed, but we know that our students – in how they come together as a family and a community – will continue to celebrate him," Krause said. "He was an impact upon us from the moment we met him. We won't forget him."
Meantime, a relative of the four victims said she never considered the man who allegedly killed them to be a threat.
As CBS 2's Dana Kozlov reports, Shelia Robinson lost four family members when Anderson allegedly killed the four victims, including her daughter, Dominique.
The crime has shaken the family to the core and Shelia Robinson said Anderson had been a family friend for years.
Shelia Robinson was surrounded by friends on Wednesday and she needs them.
"I never would have, could have imagined him going this far," she said. "Especially the kids; the kids didn't do anything to him."
Robinson said she never saw Anderson as a threat, but she didn't like him either.
Asked if Anderson had ever threatened her sister physically, Robinson said "She never said anything to me."
She said she wonders if pending prison time and the fact that her sister was set to move out of state might have set Anderson over the edge. He had been convicted of drug possession and was to be sentenced later this year.
Students from Willowbrook High held a vigil at the murder scene Tuesday night and another vigil Wednesday morning outside of the school.
Teacher Terry Harrell said, "he was one of those kids had a huge personality. He'd go out into the hallway and meet what I used to call 'his public.'"
Darnell's wrestling coach, Nick Metcalf, said he had an impact on everyone.
"If I was having a bad day or if anybody else on the team was having a bad day, as soon as that door would open and Darnell would walk in, the first thing you would see is that beautiful smile that he had on his face," Metcalf said. "Just a simple presence for our team, for our school and for our community."
Authorities have said that Anderson left behind a note saying that he was distraught, but the note did not include a confession to the murders or the arson in Villa Park. However, authorities said they found a gun at the home in Dolton that was apparently used in the killings in Villa Park.
