ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — Dozens of people gathered at Mickler’s Beach in St. Johns County to remember the life of Melissa Wood.
“She was my best friend,” said Wood’s daughter Sienna Valdez. “I love her.”
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s office says 32-year-old Christian Barrios shot and killed Wood and her boyfriend, who family members identified to Action News Jax as Jason Chatham, outside of a Walgreens near TPC Sawgrass last week.
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Investigators say that Barrios and Wood had prior history together.
“He was the brightest star that I know,” said Aliya Jade, the niece of Jason Chatham. “He had the ability to walk in a room and light up the whole room and he had the ability to shut the party down.”
Jade says when her mom told her what happened, she lost it.
“I fell to the floor screaming, crying in tears,” said Jade. “I couldn’t believe it.”
Jade says her uncle was a father to an 11-year-old son…who turns 12 this week.
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We asked Jade what she wants to see happen to the man accused of pulling the trigger and changing their family forever.
“The angry part of me really wants him to get the death sentence and be in misery until then. And the part of me that has a good heart wants him to sit in prison and think about what he did for the rest of his life,” said Jade.
Barrios formally pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. He’s currently in the St. Johns County jail.
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