Candlelight Vigils to Honor Crime Victims

Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin will host a pair of candlelight vigils in Palm Desert and Riverside to honor crime victims.

Each year since 2004, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office pays tribute to those who have lost their life to violent crime through candlelight vigils held in locations across the county.

The names of victims who died as a result of violent crime will be read at each venue and candles will be lit to remember them.

Hestrin and keynote speakers will attend each of the two events.

Candlelight vigils to honor victims of crime will be held during National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. They will be held  beginning at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10, and Thursday, April 11.

Each of the candlelight vigils will be held at the following locations:

• Wednesday, April 10, at Palm Desert Civic Center Park, 43-900 San Pablo Ave., Palm Desert
• Thursday, April 11, at Riverside County Historic Courthouse, 4050 Main St., Riverside

Immediately following the Riverside vigil on Thursday, there will be a gathering at the nearby District Attorney’s Office Victim Memorial Courtyard, 3960 Orange St., to unveil new names on the Victims
Memorial Wall.

District Attorney Hestrin will address those in attendance at each event that also features a keynote speaker.This year’s keynote speakers are:

• Palm Desert: Patty Cardenas is regional manager for the DA’s Division of Victim Services. Her brother, Alex, 20, was murdered in 1992 in a shooting in Orange County. Patty will be talking about the healing process since the tragedy and the sense of community she experiences at these annual candlelight vigils.
• Riverside: Rick Cheatham is an Anaheim firefighter and his wife, Kelly, is a registered nurse. Their 23-year-old son, Michael, was murdered in his Corona apartment in 2013. They will speak about how their son’s death has impacted them and how they have now become survivors.