Tribute to Jennifer Crecente

Jennifer met her boyfriend when she was 16. She dated him for over two years. During those years they went through a lot. He was never physically abusive before but he was very verbally and emotionally abusive. She was finally able to break free from him in 2005. But on February 15, 2006, Jennifer (then 18) went with him to look at a used car she wanted to buy. He led her into a wooded area by our home, forced her to get on her knees and shot her close range, execution style. He had planned on killing her for months and had told at least four people about his plans. He obtained the sawed off shot gun and bird shot ammo from a friend who lived in our neighborhood. He was sentenced to 35 years for this brutal act. The friend who supplied the gun and ammo was set free.
Ironically, Jennifer wanted to be a criminal psychologist. She was a creative, intelligent and fair-minded individual. She had an amazing contagious laugh. When she laughed she threw her head back and her face turned bright red.
Jennifer was unique. She had a style all her own. She believed in giving people the benefit of the doubt. She helped many of her friends who were going through tough relationships or other issues. At her funeral, one by one- they told me (her mom) how she had changed their lives. I was amazed at how many lives she had touched.
Jennifer was a beautiful girl, inside and out. She was incredibly thoughtful and did a million things every day to let people know that she loved them. She gave the most thoughtful gifts. She was easy with her “I love you’s.”
Jennifer’s death devastated those that loved her. You just don’t get over something like this. Many people who didn’t even know Jennifer said that her death affected them. The senselessness of her murder hurt them. My hope is that Jennifer will live through our words and that she still can make a difference in people’s lives.