John Massie's family is speaking out against the man they believe killed their loved one in Las Vegas.
Benjamin Hawkins, 37, is the defendant in a preliminary hearing scheduled today regarding the death of Massie, who lived in Roy.
Police suspect that Hawkins, of Florida, punched the 45-year-old Massie in the head on the Las Vegas Strip in July after a verbal altercation.
"Following the tragic news of John's murder, we, John's family, have tried to understand through the eyes of the law how we could make sense of this horrible crime," his family said in a statement Tuesday.
Hawkins pleaded not guilty and claimed he was acting in self-defense.
But according to the release, Massie's family wants Hawkins to take responsibility for the attack and wants the court to punish him to the fullest extent of the law.
When Massie died, "five children lost their father, a mother lost her son, and two little boys will never know their grandfather," according to the release.
The world also lost a dedicated civil servant and a good neighbor with a penchant for helping people, his family wrote.
"As John's family, we are standing up for him as he would for any of those that he loved," they wrote in the release.
"At this time of loss and pain, we draw strength from his resolve and determination to stand up and advocate for justice."
Comments