In a solemn tribute to 23-year-old Briana Winston, a Clayton County mother whose life was brutally taken, about 60 to 70 relatives and friends convened at Trammell Crow Park in South Fulton. According to WSBTV, they held a candlelight vigil and balloon release in honor of a life taken too soon.
Candles flickered and balloons soared as testimonies were shared, painting a portrait of a woman cherished by her community. "She was outgoing, outstanding and she had a beautiful smile," Jasmine Walker, Winston's cousin, told WSBTV in an emotionally filled tribute. Winston's grandmother, Diana Moore, recalled her granddaughter as "very independent, and she had a vision of what she wanted her life to be. And she just kept pushing," in a statement obtained by FOX 5 Atlanta.
Clayton County police have charged Michale Edwards, Winston's boyfriend and the father of her 4-year-old daughter, with her murder after a reported altercation concerning his alleged infidelity. As reported by WSBTV, Edwards is alleged to have choked Winston to death, stuffed her into a suitcase, and, with assistance, burned her remains in Tennessee.
Further harrowing details included Edwards' apparent attempt to distance himself from the crime by asking his wife, Brienna Phillips Edwards, to lend him her car and burn potential evidence. "We have evidence that she played a part in burning the items Michale called and asked to be burned," stated Lt. Ashanti Marbury of the Clayton County Police Department, as per WSBTV. Other members of Edwards' family are also implicated, having been accused to have actively participated in the concealment of Winston's gruesome murder.
Now, Winston's family aims to focus on the well-being of her young daughter. They hope that sharing their tragic story will serve as a stark warning about the perils of domestic violence. "We need to ask questions, to be persistent and find out ways to help people that are in a difficult situation," Moore exhorted in a conversation with FOX 5 Atlanta.
