Mourning mother tells crime victims to stand up - Palm Beach Post

Sandi Cooper doesn’t like to talk to strangers about what happened to her daughter. She’ll normally fib, describing Sheri Carter as a 35-year-old free spirit.

But on Monday, Cooper told the full truth — that Carter was murdered at age 29, an act that rent asunder Cooper’s life. She’s still picking up the pieces.

Cooper said she agreed to speak to the Palm Beach Victims’ Rights Coalition to help other victims.

“If I could give a family that hope, it’s worth it,” Cooper said after the opening ceremony to National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. “Because at the beginning, you cannot function, you have no hope and you don’t believe in the justice system.”

Cooper still counts the days since her daughter died four days after being shot twice. She thinks about a wedding and grandchildren that were in a future that will never be. She thinks about the buzz of her life after Carter’s death, of dropping out of the workforce to seek justice for her daughter. She’d be on the phone at 7 o’clock on a Friday night with Adrienne Ellis, the prosecutor of her daughter’s killer. She said she can still call Annette Andrea, a victim’s rights advocate, or Chris Crawford, the now-retired Boynton Beach detective. She never missed a status hearing or a pretrial motion with their support.

“There is no other option. You cannot by any means do this alone. The trial took three years. It took three years to get to trial, and it was three endless years of almost nonfunctioning life,” Cooper said. “You can choose to just lay down and then let this world pass you by, or you can get up, you can stand up, and you can function as a human being.”

Former Florida Atlantic University police officer Jimmy Dac Ho received two consecutive life terms for the murder and kidnapping of Carter, whom Cooper said was studying to take law school admission tests.

Ellis, now chief assistant state attorney, said Cooper’s strength and resilience helped her pursue justice for her daughter.

Palm Beach County Victims Services named Detective Brent Joseph of the Boynton Beach Police Department as its officer of the year. Joseph, who taught elementary school before working with sexual assault victims, offered a succinct speech: “I was definitely not expecting this. I love this award. It’s heavier than it looks. Team effort. Thank you very much.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation honored FBI agent Peter Angell and North Palm Police Detective Zachary Aldridge for their efforts to get justice for a 16-year-old forced into prostitution in three states.

Other events in the week include the “How not to be a victim” seminar at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Delray Beach Public Library, and the Walk For Victims’ Rights at 8 a.m. Saturday at Currie Park in West Palm Beach.

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