SOUTH FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Almost one year later, friends and family of a local grandmother said they still don't have closure after their loved one was found dead in the trunk of a car.
Toni Abad was found dead just two days before Christmas in 2017.
Fulton County police said De'Asia Ra'meke Page was charged with murder and aggravated assault on Dec. 24, 2017. The next day, police arrested and charged 18-year-old Jared Kemp with murder.
Abad worked at a nearby Publix. Her family told Channel 2 Action News the woman would have helped anyone.
The holidays are hard for her loved ones, because she agreed to help someone before her life was taken.
A memorial was held Wednesday to honor her.
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"We love you, Toni, and we miss you," her sister, Debbie Ritchie, said.
Candles burned and loved ones mourned the woman allegedly murdered by teens accused of taking advantage of her kindness.
"The way she had to die is hard to have closure for that," Ritchie said.
Family and friends gathered near where police found 58-year-old Abad dead in her own trunk on Dec. 23, 2017 near Campbellton Fairburn Road.
Fulton County police said Page asked Abad for a ride home and lured her to the place where Kemp, Page's boyfriend, beat Abad to death.
"We are just here to show our love and gratitude for how much we miss her," Abad's former co-worker, Beverly Wilcox, said.
People who worked with her said Abad, known as "Ms. Toni," was also known for her compassion.
"She just poured out her heart, and she would help anybody," Wilcox said.
Page and Kemp were both 18 at the time of the crime and remain in the Fulton County Jail, accused of murder.
Abad's family said she had a car full of Christmas gifts for her five grandchildren right before her death.
"We won't have her with us during the holidays this year," Ritchie said.
The family is thankful for the arrests, but they said convictions may be what can finally end nearly a year's worth of nightmares.
"My goal is to see that justice is served in my sister's death," Ritchie said.
Police said the teens were trying to steal Abad's car.
The murder trial is set to begin Jan. 18, 2019.
Cox Media Group
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