The St. Mary’s County State’s Attorney’s Office announced that it will host the 34th Annual Memorial Service for Maryland Crime Victims this coming Sunday, April 21, 2024. The event is set to take place at the Waldorf Jaycees Community Center at 1:00 p.m. and will honor victims from Calvert, Charles, Prince George’s, and St. Mary’s counties.
This yearly memorial service aims to offer a comforting environment where families and friends of crime victims can come together and share their experiences. It also marks the beginning of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, highlighting the ongoing struggle for victim rights and the vital services provided to those affected by crime.
The service will feature a number of poignant moments, including readings by Shownda Greenwell and John Duckett. The couple will share their personal tragedy, losing their son Jamari Duckett to a drunk driving incident. The ceremony will also include an address by Lieutenant Krystle Rossignol, a Maryland State Police Commander, and a candle lighting ceremony to symbolically honor over 4,000 Maryland residents who have lost their lives to criminal violence.
Additionally, the event will include the Presentation of Colors by the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, the singing of the National Anthem by Gracen Armsworthy, a local high school student, and both an invocation and benediction led by Chaplain Charlie Wharton. The State’s Attorney for St. Mary’s County, Jaymi Sterling, will serve as the Master of Ceremonies.
The annual memorial service is part of four similar statewide events organized in collaboration with the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy and the Maryland Board of Victim Services. These services collectively acknowledge the victims and push forward initiatives aimed at crime prevention and the support of victim rights throughout the state.
The public is encouraged to attend this solemn yet hopeful ceremony to support families and friends of victims and to stand together against violence in their communities.
