WALTHAM, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) -- It's been one year since Jennifer Martel's life was taken in a brutal murder in Waltham. The killer was her own boyfriend, Jared Remy, son of Red Sox broadcaster Jerry Remy.
As you can imagine, it has been an emotional year for the Martel family, so they honored her Friday night with a vigil. For the last year, any news that's come out about Martel's death had Remy and his prominent family at the center of the story. But Friday, the focus was solely on Martel and the message sent by her passing.
If time heals all wounds, one year is not enough. The pain of losing their daughter is still very real for Brian and Patty Martel.
"On the bad days, you feel like you wanna die just so you can see your daughter again," Martel's dad said.
While they may not be able to make the pain go away, they can make the best of it. The memorial service was held at the First Parish Church in Taunton to remember Martel, and that she dies a victim of domestic violence.
Her life was taken on Aug. 15, 2013 in her Waltham apartment. The place she and her boyfriend were raising their little girl. But behind closed doors, it was anything but a family. Remy was abusive, to the point of death.
On that fateful day last summer, the couple's then 4-year-old shrieked in terror as her father stabbed her mother over and over until the life in her was gone. Many people feel that they can relate to Martel, including Gabbe Rowland.
"I never met Jennifer, but I feel like I know her. We were both victims of domestic violence," she said.
And now Rowland is a spokesperson for breaking the silence about domestic violence, and shares her story with others.
"I was hit across my face by the back of his hand, he wrapped his hand around my throat to strangle me," she said.
But she was courageous enough to escape and hopes her story will empower more domestic violence victims to do the same.
"When he was trying to bring me farther away from my support system I knew I wasn't going to make it and I had to get out," she told FOX 25.
Awareness of domestic violence isn't all that's come out of Martel's death. A deeper faith has, too.
"You gotta look to the man upstairs to comfort you when you need it," she said.