Help the Melton Family Give Back to Jules
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Over the last 3 weeks, many of you already know that the Melton family has been going through a pretty chaotic time between our brother's murder trial and sentencing yesterday.
But here's something you likely haven't known. During this time, one of my best friends from college, Julie Sutton Doucet, drove from Lafayette to Alexandria each day to sit in the courtroom with my family. She selfishly left her own family to support ours because she knew we needed her (even if we didn't know it). When any one of us broke into tears at any given hour during trial, Julie would quietly move from her spot on the bench and take up residence next to the one that needed her the most at that moment. After the first few days, she just brought an overnight bag and started staying each night with us at my sister Sarah's house. Each night, we'd get out of court, exhausted, and hit the daquiri shop and the Popeyes drive thru closest to Sarah's home - and yes, apparently, you can exist on daquiris and Popeyes multiple nights in a row. We'd spread out in my sister's living room and rehash everything we'd learned in court for the day until 3am, grab a few hours of sleep, and start getting up and dressed for court the next morning by 7am. We wore her out right along w/ourselves, not realizing until now how much of it would be a part of our own healing.
Julie was determined to make sure she was here for us for sentencing yesterday as well. She worked all day on Saturday to fix a huge pot of gumbo to feed my entire family, and she started making her way to Alexandria on Sunday so she could get up again w/us on Monday to be our rock in the courtroom. About 5 miles from my family home exit off of I-49, Julie's car maxed out in RPMs and stalled. She pulled over to the shoulder with smoke billowing from under the hood. Within minutes, her car was engulfed in flames. Julie had barely enough time to get out w/her purse and phone only. The interstate was shut down for nearly 2 hours while first responders tried to put out the fire. My brother Michael was fortunately only a few miles away, and drove as quickly as possible to meet her. He stood on the side of the road with Julie as she watched her family's sole vehicle for transportation burn.
We wanted to take Julie back home Sunday night because we realized how big of a deal it was that she'd just watch her car go up in flames. But that's not Julie. Julie knew we'd need her on Monday for sentencing, and she set aside her own huge financial and emotional loss to tend to the Melton's once again. On Monday, she did what she did all trial long - she quietly got up from her place on the bench and moved over to the one of us that needed her the most as we stumbled through our statements and sentencing. She stayed with us all Monday as we worked through the emotional toil of the conclusion of the last 4 years. Always the rock for us.
Julie never asks for anything, and certainly not for help. But I know that she only carried liability on this vehicle because it was an older car with higher miles, and I know she's not in a financial place to easily replace this vehicle without great strain on her own family right now. We're not able to express in words as a family what it has meant to have Julie's support over the last month, so the Melton Family would like to instead try and show Julie how much she means to us. And we'd like to request your help in showing her. We'd like to help provide Julie and her family with the financial support she needs to replace the vehicle she lost when she set aside her own well being to tend to ours.
If possible, please join me in a financial contribution to that end. These funds will go directly to Julie so that she can purchase a replacement family vehicle.
Julie, thank you for being there for us when we needed your love. Please let us be there for you when you need ours.
With grateful and loving hearts,
The Melton Family
Charles, Ruth, Michael, Cyndi, Alun, Sarah & Melissa
But here's something you likely haven't known. During this time, one of my best friends from college, Julie Sutton Doucet, drove from Lafayette to Alexandria each day to sit in the courtroom with my family. She selfishly left her own family to support ours because she knew we needed her (even if we didn't know it). When any one of us broke into tears at any given hour during trial, Julie would quietly move from her spot on the bench and take up residence next to the one that needed her the most at that moment. After the first few days, she just brought an overnight bag and started staying each night with us at my sister Sarah's house. Each night, we'd get out of court, exhausted, and hit the daquiri shop and the Popeyes drive thru closest to Sarah's home - and yes, apparently, you can exist on daquiris and Popeyes multiple nights in a row. We'd spread out in my sister's living room and rehash everything we'd learned in court for the day until 3am, grab a few hours of sleep, and start getting up and dressed for court the next morning by 7am. We wore her out right along w/ourselves, not realizing until now how much of it would be a part of our own healing.
Julie was determined to make sure she was here for us for sentencing yesterday as well. She worked all day on Saturday to fix a huge pot of gumbo to feed my entire family, and she started making her way to Alexandria on Sunday so she could get up again w/us on Monday to be our rock in the courtroom. About 5 miles from my family home exit off of I-49, Julie's car maxed out in RPMs and stalled. She pulled over to the shoulder with smoke billowing from under the hood. Within minutes, her car was engulfed in flames. Julie had barely enough time to get out w/her purse and phone only. The interstate was shut down for nearly 2 hours while first responders tried to put out the fire. My brother Michael was fortunately only a few miles away, and drove as quickly as possible to meet her. He stood on the side of the road with Julie as she watched her family's sole vehicle for transportation burn.
We wanted to take Julie back home Sunday night because we realized how big of a deal it was that she'd just watch her car go up in flames. But that's not Julie. Julie knew we'd need her on Monday for sentencing, and she set aside her own huge financial and emotional loss to tend to the Melton's once again. On Monday, she did what she did all trial long - she quietly got up from her place on the bench and moved over to the one of us that needed her the most as we stumbled through our statements and sentencing. She stayed with us all Monday as we worked through the emotional toil of the conclusion of the last 4 years. Always the rock for us.
Julie never asks for anything, and certainly not for help. But I know that she only carried liability on this vehicle because it was an older car with higher miles, and I know she's not in a financial place to easily replace this vehicle without great strain on her own family right now. We're not able to express in words as a family what it has meant to have Julie's support over the last month, so the Melton Family would like to instead try and show Julie how much she means to us. And we'd like to request your help in showing her. We'd like to help provide Julie and her family with the financial support she needs to replace the vehicle she lost when she set aside her own well being to tend to ours.
If possible, please join me in a financial contribution to that end. These funds will go directly to Julie so that she can purchase a replacement family vehicle.
Julie, thank you for being there for us when we needed your love. Please let us be there for you when you need ours.
With grateful and loving hearts,
The Melton Family
Charles, Ruth, Michael, Cyndi, Alun, Sarah & Melissa
Organizer and beneficiary
Cyndi Melton Walker
Organizer
Allen, TX
Julie Doucet
Beneficiary