Jason Thompson's Victim Impact Statement

August 18, 2011— -- The following is an excerpt of a statement Justin Thompson, the husband of Erin Thompson, gave in court at the sentencing hearing of Justine Winter on June 6.

Well…uh…it would be impossible for me to explain the gravity of my grief…and loss of my…entire family. It would be impossible for any of us and I'm, I'm blessed that I have so much family that have been able to articulate and, and, so well, um, the people that they were…in so many words, what we've been through. But grief and loss is equivalent to the amount that you've loved. And, I could never love anybody as much as I loved them. People would look at us, if you could see in this picture, if you hold up the picture of Erin and I… If you held it up so everybody can see it.

Erin was like…the best blessing I could ever imagine, I've spent all my life looking for love. I've given and received love throughout my entire life to, to everybody I could but no one could even hold a candle to what I shared with Erin. And I—and people at our wedding, people who saw us together on a daily basis could attribute to that, who could test [sic], could testify to that fact. That, you…you couldn't find a mo—a more…beautiful unity. And if—with this picture of Erin and Caden that we've all seen in the papers over and over again…this is the love that they showed with each other and with the world always, all—all—all the time. Erin— Caden was my stepson but I loved him as my own, we, we would travel together on special—we had special days every year that we would just have as adventure days that, just him and the man who would share in it, to honor him, and his…and his, him emerging into adulthood or, adolescence. I had planned to do that my entire life.

Justine, all I've really wanted and needed from you and your family…is an expression of compassion, and accountability…for having taken these people, my love, my family, from this world. For you all to attempt…to understand and show remorse for the enormity of this loss for each and every one of us.

As a school counselor, the thing I value and try to teach to our children at the most young age is when you've caused harm to somebody…the most important thing is to apologize. Show concern for what you have done, and how—and try to make amends. But have you ever once, any of you looked us in the eye and shown, and expressed even the slightest bit…of sincere…sorrow…for everything that we've been through? We've waited and waited and waited for that. Like you can—have heard from all of our family, we, we've opened and we've reserved in our hearts a place for you, our lives are forever entwined.