Saturday, September 25, 2010

Salt Lake City, UT: Fiance of murdered preschool teacher to hold benefit concert

SALT LAKE CITY - Rod Hernandez was talking to his fiancee on the phone at the time she was shot and killed outside of the preschool where she worked. Tetyana Nikitina, 34, was leaving work last January when her ex-husband's mother walked up to her car and shot Nikitina numerous times. Mary Hansen, 70, admitted to shooting Nikitina and later asked for the death penalty. She was denied. Now, Hernandez is on a mission to help others who have lost loved ones to violent crimes.

After the murder, Hernandez says he didn't know where to turn; he lost his soon-to-be wife.

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"For three months I was like a walking zombie," said Hernandez. "I didn't pay bills I didn't care about anything, I crawled inside a bottle, I did, I really didn't want to live to tell you the truth."

Thanks to a number of support groups, Hernandez is slowly healing. Hernandez is holding a benefit concert, hoping to raise money so others who are victims of violent crime can get help too.

"There was a lot of people who helped me and I know there has to be a positive to whatever happens and even as bad as it was I had to find a positive."

Hernandez says he has not spoken to Hanson since she was jailed for the murder. But he plans to speak at her sentencing.

"She hurt those children in the worst way, she is not their grandmother and she did not help them at all."

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