By Mike Finney

SMYRNA — Once the names of the victims in Tuesday’s double homicide in Smyrna were released on Thursday, the nightmare become an even more difficult-to-grasp reality — Stephanie Gill, 38, and Deanna Dominick-Dalton, 21, were gone forever.

No one felt that loss and pain more at a candlelight prayer vigil at George C. Wright Jr. Municipal Park on Thursday night than Denzell Dalton, Deanna’s husband, who bravely attended the vigil with family and friends gathered around him.

Father Paul Mast, from St Polycarp Church, was among the 10 local preachers from the Smyrna-Clayton Ministerium who spoke encouraging words of faith and unity. He offered direct support as Mr. Dalton stood up from his seat on a set of bleachers and listened intently with his candle glowing between his hands.

“Just turn around and see that there are well over 100 people who are here to say we want to carry the cross with you,” Father Mast said to Mr. Dalton. “They are strangers. You don’t know them by name, they don’t know you, but they want to be caregivers, so welcome them inside to be a caregiver to you.

“Caregiving is all about inner healing of hurt and loss. And also let them be light in your inner darkness. The candles that they hold, let that get inside you and enlighten you with hope and healing.”

Father Mast then led the crowd gathered around the bandstand at the Municipal Park in an emotional impromptu rendition of “Amazing Grace.”

Understandably, Mr. Dalton chose not to speak at the prayer vigil, but did accept numerous hugs and well wishes from the community who wanted to show their support.

Rev. Dr. John Riley of the First Presbyterian Church in Smyrna said the vigil was organized to help heal a community that has had to endure so much recently.

“We gathered to have a vigil and to mourn with those who mourn and to pray for them and to pray for the healing of our community,” Rev. Riley said. “It’s been a very traumatic few days. We are not accustomed to Smyrna having this kind of violence and six deaths from murders and suicides.

“Because it is something that’s very unusual, we came together to pray together as a community.”

In addition to those who died Tuesday in a murder-suicide, the vigil recognized a second apparent murder-suicide that took place in Clayton last Sunday that resulted in the deaths of alleged shooter Raymond C. Bell, his girlfriend Heather Truitt and Russell Bell. Police have said no motives have been established in either incident so far.

The violence this past week in the Smyrna-Clayton area claimed a total of six lives and came in the shadows of the death of Emma Grace Cole, a 3-year-old who was killed and whose remains were discovered at the Little Lass softball complex in late 2019.

“We wanted to gather our community together, our church community together and anybody else who wanted to come, our school community, legislators … everybody,” said Rev. Keith Noel. “We wanted to have Smyrna as one come together, but we also want to remember the Delmar Police Officer (Keith Heacook) who was killed and the couple down there (in Delmar) that was beaten up and just as we go on, the Bell family here lost their lives in a situation last Sunday, so we’re covering a lot of bases.

“There’s been a lot of bad news lately but if we come together as churches and set an example, we want that to reach out to everybody in our families and communities.”

Smyrna Mayor Robert Johnson reached out to everybody who knew or was related to any of the six people in Smyrna-Clayton that lost their lives in separate tragedies over the past week.

“I want to send a blessing to anyone who has suffered a loss,” the mayor said. “We’re all here for your support. We’re here to help you in any way we can. We’re here to support you and provide you with whatever you need. God is with you right now.”

Among those who died over the past week was Llewellyn Gill, 47, of Hartly, who was the suspect who fatally shot his wife, Ms. Gill, in the parking lot at Smyrna Middle School before fleeing in a vehicle and turning the gun on himself during a police pursuit that ended when his vehicle crashed in the Galena, Maryland area, according to police.

Police also said they found Ms. Dominick-Dalton dead with apparent gunshot wounds later in the day in an apartment at McLane Gardens in Smyrna.

It was tragic news like that which brought together people of all races, genders and religions to mourn together on a breezy night in Smyrna.

“Bringing everyone together like this and sharing inspirational messages and reminding them that we are all here on this earth for one purpose, I think that’s what this community needed to hear and particularly the families who had experienced loss,” said Pat Williams, superintendent of the Smyrna School District, which has offered counseling services to students and families.

State Sen. Dave Lawson, R-Marydel, made the trip to Smyrna to offer his condolences to the families and support for the communities.

“I came here to support you,” Sen. Lawson said. “You are the backbone of this country. Right now you’re here in this city, but you make up the backbone of this country. Don’t let anyone tell you any different because we, the people, rule this country … not the bureaucrats, not those who came to be … you do.

“It is time that we start standing up as people and act like the bosses that we are. We have been overcome by evil. We’ve got to stop that. It is time that we quite knuckling under and letting the devil have his way with us. That’s what’s happening today. We run around frightened. There is nothing to hide from when He (God) is with you.”

The hour-long vigil came to an end with everyone reciting the “Unison Prayer” and ended with “The Lord’s Prayer,” hopefully bringing with it a sense of togetherness to a tragedy-torn community.