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A grieving fiancee speaks out

Dear Editor,

To the “men” who murdered my fiance, David Saunders. It has been a year since you took him from us.

Did you think we would forget? We haven’t.

Has it gotten easier for you as time has passed? Do you still see it when you look in the mirror?

The reflection of who and what you are staring back at you. A murderer. That is one consequence of your actions.

You will always be a murderer. There will always be blood on your hands. No matter how many times you wash them it’s there.

The hands that you touch your innocent family with, your children with, your loved ones with. Dave’s blood is there. Can you see it?

How well did you know him? Did he consider you a friend? Someone he would have been there for, to help and support in an instant? Did you break that trust? How bad did you hurt him? What was the look on his face as he realized the betrayal of the people he was with?

What were his last words? Did he fight back? Did he cry out in pain?

No matter how much you try to forget the look on his face and the sound of his voice, you won’t ever be able to. I bet it’s burned into your memory.

Do you have nightmares about it? Do you see it when you close your eyes? I hope it haunts you for the rest of your life.

Did you even for a split-second think of what you were doing? What you were taking away from him? What you were taking from those that loved him?

Did you know we were planning our wedding? Our future together. Kids, a family, a home. Places we wanted to see and things we wanted to do together that we will never be able to do … because of you.

Were you able to move on? Are you planning your future with the person you love?

Making plans and moving forward. I can’t. I won’t ever be able to. You took that away from us.

As you stand there in front of that mirror looking at the murderer looking back at you. As you stand there looking down at your hands covered in Dave’s blood.

Remember that one day you will be judged.

One day, at the foot of that cross, you won’t be able to hide what you are.

You won’t be able to hide Dave’s blood that is dripping from your hands.

And on that judgment day, you will find you’ll spend eternity exactly where you are meant to spend it.

So, while you took a man that was one of the most loyal, respectful, caring, and loving men in the world. Someone who only cared about taking care of those he loved and someone who would go out of his way to make even a stranger smile with his “Pocket full of Sunshine,” you will forever be the men who betrayed his trust, the men who lied to him, the men who hurt him, the men who murdered him, and the men who can’t admit to what they’ve done.

To be honest … can you even be called men?

For everyone that is reading this, if you know anything about what happened to Dave Saunders in September of 2020, please contact the St. Clairsville Police Department so we can finally get justice for Dave.

Kayla Thomas

St. Clairsville

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