Small Town Murder {complete}

Grieving families

A lot has taken place since Billy was murdered on November 24,2010. His son, William, and his daughter-in-law, Amber, had a son born in 2011, and they named him Billy Joe Tracey, after his grandfather. He has missed the birth of his son's, Jason, first child being born. He missed countless birthdays of his children's, grandchildren's, and all the heartache that the family has dealt with since his death. 

Billy's aunt passed away September 28, 2015. She was taking care of her four grandchildren that she had guardianship over at the time of her death. When she passed away the guardianship was transferred to Freddy, Billy's uncle. Freddy does not have children of his own so this was a very big change for him and changed his lifestyle, but he was still able to enjoy the children. He spent his time focusing on them and trying to get justice for Billy at the same time. He took them on family vacations, and to places they have never seen. The children got close to Amber and William and their two kids, and they all ended up going on family vacations together a few times.

His brother, Dennis, has since passed away on May 9, 2017 from cancer. In less than two after his brother passed away his sister-in-law, Becky, also passed away also due to cancer, in February 2019. They left behind five children. Billy Joe's parents have lost both of their children, one to murder and one to cancer. They still have their grandchildren that they live for and to keep both of their children's memories alive. 

The family is still trying to get justice for Billy's murder, even though it has been almost 10 years, there is not a day that goes by that his family doesn't grieve his loss. It has taken a toll on everyone, especially his son William. Billy should have never been taken from his family in the manner that he was. His uncle and his mother are relentless trying to still get justice even after Jeremy attacked his estranged wife, and their two children (killing them), and then killing himself. After Jeremy's death it was revealed to Billy's family that Addison was not in fact Jeremy's child, she was Billy's love child with Melissa.

When Jeremy took the life of who he thought was his daughter Addison he not only took the life away from Melissa he also took that life and destroyed it for Billy's family to be able to get to know that child and to have a relationship with her. it destroyed a child's life just because he and his estranged wife couldn't get along therefore it took another loved one away from Billy's family. 

Billy's family is not the only family that is grieving anymore, the Gehl family is also grieving from the loss of Leon, Jeremy (even though he was a coward and took the easy way out), and Addison. They are also grieving the loss of Herman and Jeremy's dad, he died of a heart attack in August of 2016.

While Billy's family and the Gehl family are both mourning their loss they need to look back and realize that if they (Jeremy and Herman) wouldn't have decided to play God maybe all this wouldn't have happened. If the prosecutor would have placed murder charges on Jeremy and Herman after they shot and murdered Billy Joe at his home, then the lives of Addison, Leon, and Melissa or Jeremy would not have been ruined. He took two innocent lives just because he couldn't handle the guilt anymore. Jeremy should have come forward with the information that he knew and it would have saved a lot of innocent lives and his family would not be suffering the loss of two innocent children along with the life of Jeremy.

One act of violence caused by anger and jealousy not only destroyed one life, but caused more turmoil and pain for more than one family. It ripped apart two families just because one person was angry, jealous, and couldn't think of another way to solve his problems. This is what happens when a person thinks that they can get by with anything, and is above the law. They don't have to follow the rules and regulations that are set for everyone else in society just because they're the son of a police officer. When they been in as much trouble as Herman has throughout his life and knows the inside and outside of the legal system, he knows exactly what to say to get by with the murder because his daddy has always protected him from serving real time (except one time). They both should have been charged with murder, manslaughter, conspiracy, tampering with evidence, and reckless endangerment. They would be serving prison sentences, and the lives of their families wouldn't be shattered. 

The prosecutor really fumbled this case just because he didn't want to go against a local police officer, but what he failed to realize was that in the end the blood of Jeremy and those two innocent children are on his hands. He failed to protect the citizens of the county that he represented just because of who the Gehl's were, and because their family held positions of authority. A position of authority does not give someone the right to sit back and let murderers walk free, continue to get in trouble, harass the family of the person they murdered, or take more lives just because that person can not handle the guilt anymore. 

The prosecutor was eventually voted out, but nothing has still come out of it (no charges, nothing). The investigation just died in the water along with Jeremy.

There is always something that comes out of situations like these families are in, but they do not always have the outcomes that we would like to see.