I created this drawing of Brandi years ago. Here, I was influenced by the Lord of the Rings image of Aragorn's mother, Gilraen. Here's the drawing:
Here's a brief Bio of Brandi J. Henderson:
'Living in some terrible times'
One of 10 victims of an alleged serial killer is buried
Author: BEN STOCKING; STAFF WRITER March 16, 1994
CHARLOTTE -- Mourners gathered at the Macedonia Baptist Church on Monday to say goodbye to Brandi June Henderson -- and to condemn the violence that claimed her life just 10 months after she became a mother.
Henderson, 18, was one of 10 victims police say died at the hands of a killer who had been stalking Charlotte women for nearly two years. Her boyfriend found her strangled at her apartment Wednesday night. Their 10-month-old son also was choked but survived.
"I cry over my daughter," said Debora Childers, Henderson's mother, as mourners entered the church. But Childers said she would never cry for Henry Louis Wallace, the man accused of killing her daughter. She took solace in knowing that her daughter's death had helped police make an arrest.
Paying their final respects, friends and family filed past Henderson's open coffin, a white casket adorned with pink and white flowers.
"We are living in some terrible times," said the Rev. John H. Walker, decrying the violence that cut short Henderson's life.
"We are living in some troubled times where the value of a human life is too low."
Henderson, her boyfriend Lamar Woods and their son Tareese Woods shared an apartment at The Lake, a complex near Wallace's last apartment and the Bojangles' restaurant where three more of his alleged victims worked.
Friends and family recalled Henderson as a warm, loving woman. "She was full of life," said Joann Hite, the victim's cousin. "She was friendly with everybody. She loved people."
Tareese was released from the hospital on the same day his mother was laid to rest. Woods, who works at two fast-food restaurants, said he plans to raise the child himself.
Woods and Henderson had been a couple for two years.
"She was a wonderful person," Woods said, holding Tareese in his arms at the church.
One day after Henderson was killed, the body of another woman was found in an apartment at the same housing complex. Police say the woman, Betty Jean Baucum, was Wallace's ninth victim.
Cheryl Julian, who lived across from Henderson's apartment at The Lake, chatted with Henderson several times when they bumped into each other in the parking lot.
"She was very sweet," Julian said. "She had so much life ahead of her."
Addressing mourners at the funeral, Sally Miller echoed Julian's lament. "This young lady's life was just beginning," Miller said. "This young lady should still be here to raise her baby, to walk in the park."
Miller, whose 13-year-old son was killed in a drive-by shooting, spoke on behalf of a group called Mothers of Murdered Offspring. The organization was founded last year after the slaying of Shawna D. Hawk, another of Wallace's alleged victims.
"Let this light burn," Miller said. "Remember your daughter."
Here's a brief Bio of Brandi J. Henderson:
'Living in some terrible times'
One of 10 victims of an alleged serial killer is buried
Author: BEN STOCKING; STAFF WRITER March 16, 1994
CHARLOTTE -- Mourners gathered at the Macedonia Baptist Church on Monday to say goodbye to Brandi June Henderson -- and to condemn the violence that claimed her life just 10 months after she became a mother.
Henderson, 18, was one of 10 victims police say died at the hands of a killer who had been stalking Charlotte women for nearly two years. Her boyfriend found her strangled at her apartment Wednesday night. Their 10-month-old son also was choked but survived.
"I cry over my daughter," said Debora Childers, Henderson's mother, as mourners entered the church. But Childers said she would never cry for Henry Louis Wallace, the man accused of killing her daughter. She took solace in knowing that her daughter's death had helped police make an arrest.
Paying their final respects, friends and family filed past Henderson's open coffin, a white casket adorned with pink and white flowers.
"We are living in some terrible times," said the Rev. John H. Walker, decrying the violence that cut short Henderson's life.
"We are living in some troubled times where the value of a human life is too low."
Henderson, her boyfriend Lamar Woods and their son Tareese Woods shared an apartment at The Lake, a complex near Wallace's last apartment and the Bojangles' restaurant where three more of his alleged victims worked.
Friends and family recalled Henderson as a warm, loving woman. "She was full of life," said Joann Hite, the victim's cousin. "She was friendly with everybody. She loved people."
Tareese was released from the hospital on the same day his mother was laid to rest. Woods, who works at two fast-food restaurants, said he plans to raise the child himself.
Woods and Henderson had been a couple for two years.
"She was a wonderful person," Woods said, holding Tareese in his arms at the church.
One day after Henderson was killed, the body of another woman was found in an apartment at the same housing complex. Police say the woman, Betty Jean Baucum, was Wallace's ninth victim.
Cheryl Julian, who lived across from Henderson's apartment at The Lake, chatted with Henderson several times when they bumped into each other in the parking lot.
"She was very sweet," Julian said. "She had so much life ahead of her."
Addressing mourners at the funeral, Sally Miller echoed Julian's lament. "This young lady's life was just beginning," Miller said. "This young lady should still be here to raise her baby, to walk in the park."
Miller, whose 13-year-old son was killed in a drive-by shooting, spoke on behalf of a group called Mothers of Murdered Offspring. The organization was founded last year after the slaying of Shawna D. Hawk, another of Wallace's alleged victims.
"Let this light burn," Miller said. "Remember your daughter."
