The same week Jermaine Richards stood in court and pleaded not guilty to murder, friends and family of Eastern Connecticut State University student Alyssiah Wiley stood together in church honoring her young life that was cut short.
The service, which was open to the public, was held at Varick AME Church on Dixwell Avenue in New Haven.
“We were all able to come together to celebrate a life that has meant so much to all of us,” said Corrinna Martin, Wiley’s mother.
Just Friday, 30-year-old Stratford nurse Jermaine Richards pleaded not guilty to murder and kidnapping Wiley. He’s accused of killing, dismembering and dumping the remains of his girlfriend in a wooded section of Trumbull. This after she tried to break off their relationship.
Wiley’s mother has been an outspoken advocate for justice in her daughter’s case.
“This is a continued fight that has embraced, embodied and empowered many,” Corrinna Martin said.
Wiley, who was 20, was last seen alive leaving campus with Richards on April 20. Nearly a month later police discovered her body.
Martin says she is working with U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and state Sen. Tony Harp to push for a mandatory check-in in system for college students living on campus.
“Still working with bringing awareness, being vocal, being bold,” Martin said.
Jermaine Richards is scheduled to be back in court Oct. 3.