Amber Carr, the sister of Atatiana Jefferson, will move to a hospice facility following a terminal diagnosis of congestive heart failure, said family attorney Lee Merritt.
“[Carr’s] heart can no longer support her body without heavy medical intervention, which is unsustainable,” he said.
Carr, 33, was hospitalized during her sister’s murder trial. For the past three years, Carr has dedicated her life to seeking justice for her late sister, who was shot by former police officer Aaron Dean. Carr is the mother of Zion Carr, the nephew of Atatiana who was present at the time of the shooting.
“Families spend so much time fighting for justice, they don’t have the time to grieve and to heal,” said Merritt to WFAA.
For health reasons, Carr could not personally deliver her victim impact statement. However, Carr’s sister, Ashley, read Carr’s statement in front of an emotional courtroom.
“[Atatiana] did not do anything wrong,” Carr’s statement read. “She was in her home, which should have been the safest place for her to be, and yet it turned out to be the most dangerous…I live every day with the pain that I could not do my job and protect her.”
Just two weeks prior to Carr’s terminal prognosis, former police officer Dean was sentenced to 11 years, 10 months, and 12 days in prison for manslaughter, as reported by The Dallas Express.
The irregular sentence length of 11 years is partially symbolic of the age of Zion Carr at the time of his testimony.
Zion lays at the heart of the tragedy that has befallen the Carr-Jefferson family. At the age of only eight years old, he personally witnessed his aunt’s death. Within three months of his aunt’s death, Zion’s grandmother, Yolanda Carr, 55, and his grandfather, Marquis Jefferson, 58, passed away. Now, he sits alongside his ailing mother’s hospital bed in what may be her final days.
“The doctors have given her days to live with congestive heart failure with no sign of recovery. They lost their mama. They lost their father. They lost Atatiana [and now they’re about to lose Amber.] They need our prayers,” said Kyev Tatum, Reverend of New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church.
While no amount of money can repair the suffering of Atatiana’s family, Ashley Carr has created a GoFundMe page. At the time of writing, the page has raised nearly $100,000 from almost 3,000 separate donors.