No one wants to be memorialized in Boston’s Garden of Peace, but for those that are remembered there, the addition of their names to the solemn Garden for murder victims gives some solace and a place to grieve with others who are walking similar paths.
The Boston Garden of Peace held its 10th Annual Ceremony on Sept. 18 to add names to the memorial dedicated to those who have been murdered in the area. This year, the Garden added its 1,000th name, with one of those new names being late Everett resident Shawn Clark, a U.S. Marine combat veteran who was murdered after returning home.
“It was so emotional and everyone was crying,” said Anita Clark, the fallen Marine’s mother. “I was shaking. It was so emotional. You just meet so many people you wouldn’t have known otherwise and who are in the same position I’m in. It was just a very, very moving ceremony for all of us.”
Clark’s son, Shawn, served tours of duty in Iraq with the Marines, and made it home unscathed. However, after coming back to the U.S. and opening up a skate shop in Malden, he was murdered Jan. 29, 2013 by perpetrators who are still at large.
He left behind a wife and two children.
The family also said they wanted to renew the commitment for a reward of $60,000 for anyone who provided information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for killing Clark.
“We’re hopeful this may entice someone,” she said. “There’s been nothing so far in his case and the murderers are still at large. We really want to get this back out there and into the public eye again. We’re not going to let it be forgotten. We need his killers captured and we need people will information to come forward.”
Additionally, Clark said she plans to mount a campaign to help improve the State’s DNA testing and bring it up to date. She said the techniques used and allowed by law in Massachusetts are very far behind the times.
“It won’t help me on my case, but this would help people down the road,” she said. “My experience has shown me that there really needs to be some refinement in DNA testing and bring our testing up to date. I plan to talk to state reps in the area to file a bill concerning this.”