Vigil Held In Honor Of Lauren McCluskey On 2nd Anniversary Of Her Death
Oct 23, 2020, 11:00 AM | Updated: 11:08 am
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Family and friends gathered Thursday night to pay tribute to Lauren McCluskey, who was murdered two years ago on the University of Utah campus.
The memorial came hours after the McCluskey family and the U of U announced a settlement agreement where the State of Utah will pay the family $13.5 million, which the McCluskeys said will be donated to the Lauren McCluskey Foundation.
Friends, family and classmates held the vigil to honor Lauren’s life during a walk of remembrance. The walk was also a chance to recognize the staggering domestic violence statistics.
Since that day two years ago, Lauren’s parents have continued to fight for changes at the university.
“(U of U) employees failed to fully understand and respond appropriately to Lauren’s situation,” said university president Ruth Watkins during the announcement of the settlement. “As a result, we failed Lauren and her family.”
The McCluskeys received the acknowledgement from the University of Utah that their daughter’s murder was a preventable tragedy.
In addition to the money that will be paid to the family, the university will also raise funds to build an athletic center with an indoor track, according to the terms of the settlement. The center will be named after Lauren.
“Now that they have taken responsibility for what happened, we can move forward,” Lauren’s mother, Jill McCluskey, said. “… She will always be gone from us, but it doesn’t help knowing that people are with you.”
