GRAND FORKS — A week after the murder of Anthony “Tony” James Kiehl, 49, his loved ones gathered outside the Grand Forks police station for a candlelight vigil.

Kiehl’s sister, Lori Ann Garcia, organized the Thursday, Oct. 31 gathering in hopes of sharing memories about her younger brother.

“My brother was known as a kind, helpful, generous and loving person,” Garcia told the Herald.

The vigil, held next to the bike path Kiehl usually took to get to his apartment, was one of what he hopes will be many. Attendees held candles, shared stories and prayed. A handmade sign read: “Justice for Tony.”

Before Kiehl moved into his Cherry Street residence, where he was found unresponsive on Oct. 24, the night he died, he resided at LaGrave on First, which is Grand Forks’ permanent supportive housing for people who have been left behind. homeless.

Cindy Cogsdell, a recently retired case manager at LaGrave on First, has just been discharged from the hospital after a month-long stay due to ongoing health issues. When another LaGrave resident told her about the vigil, she said, “‘I’ll be there for Lori and I’ll be there for Tony.’ And I’m glad I got out in time to be here.”

Kiehl and Garcia were some of his first clients at LaGrave. She would take Kiehl to the bank to cash his disability checks, and along the way, he would choose music.

“Oh, Tony loved music,” Cogsdell said. “He loved playing with me in my car.”

When Kiehl moved from LaGrave more than a year ago, he worried it was too soon.

“I remember thinking, ‘He shouldn’t move. He’s just not ready,'” she said. “I thought they were setting him up to fail. In my opinion, that’s what they were doing.”

Cogsdell believed Kiehl needed more support and case management. He had mental health and alcohol problems, according to García.

After Kiehl’s death, which preliminary autopsy results indicated was a homicide, two men were arrested on suspicion of involvement.

Donald “DJ” Joseph Bartlette, 45, is charged with murder, while Nicholas Alexander Wride-Arnold, 35, is charged with conspiracy to murder.

Connie Laducer, another vigil attendee who knew Kiehl since she lived in LaGrave, said the violent death was “just shocking.”

“How could anyone do that?” Laducer said.

Garcia said that more than being angry at those accused of the murder, she is angry at the system.

“Violence has no place in our community,” he said. “It’s a community problem.”

At the time of Kiehl’s death, Bartlette had ongoing court cases on trespassing charges and, despite a history of violence, said he was released without monetary bail.

“I’m angry at the way things are going in Grand Forks: the system, the police officers,” Garcia said. “Because DJ should never have been let out because of a PR tie.”

García is also shocked by the lack of support for the families of victims of violent crimes.

“It’s crazy that there isn’t some kind of emergency fund set up here in Grand Forks for the victim’s family, that they don’t have to jump through any hoops, because Grand Forks is no stranger to murders,” he said.

Because her family is low-income, they struggle to pay for an urn, a funeral service, and her brother’s burial. There is a fund for these things, but it is covered through reimbursements, and his family can’t afford to pay up front, Garcia said.

The county will pay for his brother’s cremation, he said, but that’s it.

“Everyone else can choose how the service goes for their loved one,” Garcia said. “I don’t have that option. And I feel like I’m being prosecuted because I’m poor.”

Bartlette and Wride-Arnold face life in prison without parole if convicted of their charges. However, if that were to happen, Garcia still wouldn’t feel like justice was served.

“That doesn’t make me feel good,” he said. “Because that doesn’t bring me back to my brother.”