Remembering Rion

I've been dreading writing this entry, there's no way I can do justice to my subject. But better write it before the emotion wears off.

Amy Rion Chesbro, my college dormmate from freshman year at Bard, was murdered by her sister-in-law, Julie Ann Hopwood on December 17. The details are emerging, and one story is weirder than the next. Here's what I could piece together:

• Amy has been dating PJ Two Raven for last 10 years. PJ is a FTM transsexual, they were engaged. Over last three years, when I reconnected with Amy over her blog, she mentioned how happy she was.
• Amy is from Alaska, but finished her masters degree at University of Michigan
• PJ's sister Julie Ann, is a violinist, and taught respiratory therapy at Piedmont Community College at Charlotte
• Some reports mentioned mental illness
• Julie Ann drove 600 miles by herself, and at 8.30am in the morning on December 17, shot Amy multiple times as she was getting out of her car to go to work. She visited Amy and PJ just a month ago, and everything was fine.
• This was a homophobic attack, also mentioned by several people I talked to.

Amy was one of my first friends at college. Amy, Bill Harnish, Adam Weiss and I drove around Bard on our second day at college. We went to Red Hook, the nearby town in Adam's car. She was a creative writing major, free spirited, her roommate was a goth girl who transferred out in the middle of the semester, can't remember her name now. She always talked about her twin sister, Carrie, and how they were connected all the time.

I can't make sense of it all, and can't imagine what the family and loved ones must be going through. Homophobia in the USA takes a particularly ugly form once in a while. Brandon Teena, Matthew Shepard cases are well known.When it is a family member, it is particularly devastating.

Amy, you were loved, and you will always remain in my life.