Simpkins said his granddaughter was “a light that shined so brightly.”
“To be extinguished so fast is just devastating,” he said. “So hard to imagine one minute they’re here and one minute they’re not. And you know that the only [way] you’ll ever see them again is when you yourself pass away.”
Her death was met with an outpouring of grief for the young woman who was an outspoken advocate for criminal justice reform.
Simpkins said she “had a laugh that was infectious.”
“I can still hear it echoing in my mind. And I don’t know,” he said. “But I do know that we’ll get through this. We will, but right now this is just devastating.”
To get help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). There is also a crisis text line. For crisis support in Spanish, call 1-888-628-9454.
