Right around the time Dillen Murray was facing a judge, Jose Diaz and Nikki McNabb were returning from a trip to the woods to see where their son, Giovanni Diaz, 15, spent his last minutes alive.
Murray, 16, faces a murder charge in connection with their son’s death.
He came to court Wednesday wearing a yellowish-green jail jumpsuit and remained silent throughout his first appearance. The judge ordered he remain in custody and scheduled his arraignment hearing for April 10.
Investigators believe Murray lured his friend, Gio into the woods with the sole purpose of beating him, with his motive being jealousy over Diaz’ relationship with a girl he had liked. After the murder, Murray called 911 to report what had happened.
McNabb says she knew her son’s friend was trouble. A couple years ago, Murray was arrested for hitting Gio and another girl. Then last year, he was busted again for allegedly beating his own father. Despite all of the violence, Gio was willing to give Dillen another chance.
Now, his mother wonders what more she could have done to save her son’s life. She believes the system failed not only her family, but the boy accused of this horrific crime. She wonders why he didn’t get help after arrest number one, two and three.
“Nothing was done with the kid. He was back out. No help was given to him. You know,” said McNabb. “They should’ve had him see a psychiatrist. He had so much anger built up in him and nobody there. They don’t know how to deal with that anger at this age.”
Before McNabb and Gio’s father Jose ventured into the woods, they paused to thank the community for their support.
Jose said he hopes his son’s death will shed light on this type of violence. “I don’t want my son’s life to go in vain. I believe we are all here on Earth to serve a purpose,” he said, wiping tears from his face. “Please if you know something like this is going to happen tell someone.”
The family is planning a large gathering for a candlelight vigil on Thursday evening at 7:30, in the field near the intersection of Lake Boulevard and Caloosa Boulevard in Lake Wales.
