Alana Calahan’s Mother Speaks About Life Without Her Daughter
Alana Callahan’s Mother Speaks About Life Without Her Daughter (March 08, 2012)
It’s been more than a year since Harlem teen, Alana Calahan, was shot and killed by her neighbor, Lacy Aaron Schmidt. He was sentenced last week to life without parole. For the first time, Alana’s mother speaks about life without her daughter.
understatement. Although it’s been more than a year since Alana Calahan’s
murder, to her mother Betty, it seems like it was just yesterday. What’s worse,
is she’s still left with so many unanswered questions that her killer, Lacy
Aaron Schmidt never answered.
“I wanted to ask him why, it’s always been my question..why? Why couldn’t
you talk to us?”
With the court case aside, Betty says it’s now about starting anew, but it
isn’t easy.
“It’s hard with Paul and Chase going through it every day and having
nightmares and not being able to do things that they used to do but we’re moving
through it. Her brothers wanted pictures of her up and when they get ready for
other pictures to be put up then we will but right now it’s their time. We talk
to her, we have our quiet time with her and the boys are starting to talk about
things and opening up again..starting to play and be little kids
again.”
The boys made butterflies for Alana, each with a letter to her inside. Betty says it’s symbolic because to her, Alana is now a butterfly herself.
“Alana was like a catapiller and then she ended up going into a cocoon with
her death- her spirit is like a butterfly and she can open her wings and fly.”
The Calahan family has made a memorial for Alana where her body was found. It’s full of crosses and angels. They say it’s a place where they can go to speak to and pray for her.
