U.S. Attorney Phillips Praises Courage and Resilience of Those Who Come Forward
WASHINGTON - U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and the Victim Witness Assistance Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia paid tribute today to crime victims, their families, witnesses, community members, and Good Samaritans for their bravery, compassion, and dedication to the pursuit of justice.
The honorees were recognized by the U.S. Attorney’s Office during an event at the Ceremonial Courtroom of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. The ceremony was timed with the annual observance of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. This year’s national theme, “Strength, Resilience, Justice," reflects a vision for the future in which victims grow stronger from the response they receive, organizations show resilience in response to challenges, and communities are able to seek collective justice and healing.
“All of us are inspired by the strength and resilience shown by victims and witnesses in their pursuit for justice," said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “The people being honored today include men, women, and children who have shown incredible courage and perseverance throughout the criminal justice process. They represent the remarkable commitment that we see every day from victims, witnesses, and the members of the community who respond to their needs."
The featured speakers were Gerfa Lunsmann and her son, Kevin, of Virginia, who were kidnapped by armed gunmen in July of 2011 from a beach cottage where they were vacationing in the Philippines. The kidnappers forced Ms. Lunsmann and Kevin, then 14, into a boat and took them to another island, where they held them for ransom and threatened them with death. Throughout the ordeal, in the United States, Heiko Lunsmann worked with law enforcement in hopes of getting his wife and son back home safely.
The kidnappers held Ms. Lunsmann for 82 days before her release. Kevin remained a hostage until he managed to escape after a total of 151 days in captivity. As he described it in his remarks today, “Every day was just a struggle to survive." Both talked about the physical, mental and emotional traumas they suffered and the power of resilience and recovery.
In addition to the Lunsmann family, the U.S. Attorney’s Office today honored other individual victims, survivors, and Good Samaritans whose efforts furthered the cause of justice. For example, the honorees included a robbery victim whose powerful statement at sentencing brought one of his assailants to tears; a child who witnessed his mother’s murder and advocated on her behalf throughout the court process, and three citizens who came to a woman’s rescue as she was about to be raped on a weekday morning in downtown Washington.
The honorees also included an off-duty police officer from Georgia who stepped into action after he saw someone robbing a homeless man in July 2014 near an abandoned building at Fourth and G Streets NW. The officer, who was in town for the week, flagged down police officers, provided comfort to the victim, and positively identified the assailant, who was in possession of the victim’s coins. The officer returned to the District of Columbia to be a witness at the defendant’s trial. Once the defendant saw him in the courtroom, he pled guilty to the crime; he later was sentenced to three years in prison.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office also paid special recognition to two interpreters who assist victims and witnesses, as well as two people who help child victims with the challenges of going back to school after undergoing a trauma.
Today’s event was developed and organized by the Victim Witness Assistance Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Members of the Unit provide essential services and support to victims and witnesses, such as making referrals for counseling and other services, addressing safety concerns, arranging travel, and accompanying victims to court proceedings. The Unit also notifies victims of their rights and provides information regarding significant case events, such as the filing of charges, plea hearings, trials and sentencing hearings.
Additional information about the Victim Witness Assistance Unit is available at https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/victim-witness-assistance
Further information about National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is available at http://ovc.ncjrs.gov/ncvrw/.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
