Valley families gather to remember homicide victims: 'It's like we are still expecting him'

Joy Cuevas picked out a red sparkling Christmas tree ornament this week in honor of her slain brother, 46-year-old Sam Cuevas. She chose red because her brother’s favorite baseball team was the Angels. And the glitter reminds her of the sparkle in his eye when he smiled.

On Wednesday, she placed the ornament on a tree in the lobby of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Mission Division station as part of an inaugural tree-trimming event for families of homicide victims. For years, the 77th Street Division in South L.A. has hosted a similar event, but this year was a first for families in the San Fernando Valley.

For Joy Cuevas and dozens of others, the night was sometimes painful as they spoke of their loved ones and how their feelings of loss have intensified during the holiday season.

Sam Cuevas, for example, loved Thanksgiving and the abundant leftovers for turkey sandwiches.

“It’s like we haven’t come to terms that he’s gone,” Joy Cuevas said through tears. “It’s like we are still expecting him.”

At the event, families gathered in a community room and listened to speakers while they waited for their names to be called to join detectives to hang an ornament.

“It’s a very tragic time for a lot of us,” said Lt. Mike Kozak, who heads a team of detectives who investigate homicides across the Valley. Officers and detectives lined the perimeter of the room and listened as family members spoke of their grief.

The tree, Kozak said, will remain in the lobby so the community can remember the toll of violence.

Candice Zamora stood in the front of the room and thanked the LAPD. For Zamora, the event gave her slain 25-year-old brother “some importance.” Jesse Zamora was shot and killed almost two months ago in Pacoima. He left behind two daughters, ages 2 and 5.

“Obviously, emotions run high because we don’t have them here to celebrate the holidays,” she said.

James Fisher told the crowd to speak up about domestic violence. “I lost my niece [because of] someone who didn’t want to let her go,” he said.

In September, G’Teasha Fisher, 33, was fatally shot and stabbed by her boyfriend, police said. More than a dozen of her family members came to the event to hang ornaments.

James Fisher said that his niece’s death devastated the entire family. He still doesn't understand why G’Teasha Fisher, who had an 11-year-old son, was killed.

At the end of the night, James Fisher walked up to the tree in the lobby and snapped several photographs with his cellphone, capturing the many faces of victims on the tree.

Contact the Homicide Report. Follow @nicolesantacruz and @latimeshomicide on Twitter.

Photos: Slaying victims Sam Cuevas, top, and G'Teasha Fisher. Credit: Family photos