Fifteen Years After Murder
The conversation had gone on for well over 20 minutes before he said a word about it.
“I don’t know if you realize it. Today is,” he started, then paused.
My eyes instantly darted to the upper right-hand corner of my computer screen to find the date: January 18.
It was January 18.
It was the day.
“Fifteen years,” continued Damian, finally finishing the sentence he had started several seconds earlier. “That’s in my heart, man.”
Damian was 25 years old when he fatally stabbed his wife and toddler on the evening of Jan. 18, 2005, at their home in Aurora, Colorado. His other two children — 5 and 6 years old at the time — ran to a neighbor’s house to ask for help when they witnessed their father strangling their mother.
Not a day goes by that he doesn’t think about what he did, he said. He thinks about his heinous crime when he wakes up. And when he goes to sleep.
“Today is 15, 15 years,” the 41-year-old said, stumbling over his words and sounding verklempt. “I’m thinking of my kids. They probably have something special they do today.”
Damian fasts each January 18. In 2015 — on the 10-year anniversary — he fasted for 72 hours.
“At 20 years, I’ll also fast for another three days,” he said. “I’ll go to the gym after this and beat the shit out of myself. I’ll go quietly back to my cell and just think about it, ya know.”
About the Author
Andréa Maria Cecil is a career editor and writer whose experience includes six years as Assistant Managing Editor and Head Writer at CrossFit Inc. headquarters. She spent the first 12 years of her professional life as a journalist — starting with The Associated Press in Detroit and Baltimore — before transitioning to content marketing with an emphasis on authentic storytelling. She is the editor of “Speal: A David and Goliath Story” by Chris Spealler that sold 10,000 copies worldwide.
