“The person who came in our home and murdered my son was not kind, and had they thought twice about their actions, my son would be here today, so I am asking on Jan. 13 that you perform a small random act of kindness in honor of my son,” Sandle said.
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Sandle was home with her son and 9-year-old daughter that morning.
“I was in my room, I heard noises, and I heard my son scream upstairs,” she said. The shooter held a gun to her head and told her “no” before fleeing the house. She didn’t know at first that her son had been fatally shot in his bedroom.
“I didn’t know until I went up there that my son was shot,” Sandle said.
Sandle said Hamilton police continue to update her about the investigation. But still there has been no arrest and no closure.
MORE: Hamilton mother’s request: Do a random act of kindness
Hamilton Police Sgt. Richard Burkhardt said the case remains open, but information is needed to move it forward.
“We would appreciate anyone with information to come forward and do the right thing,” Burkhardt said.
Anyone with information can call Detective Steve Hamilton at 513-868-5811 ext. 1274 or Crime Stoppers at 513-352-3040
Police have said the homicide was not a random act of violence.
Sandle, who is originally from Australia and lived in New Zealand for a time with her husband, who died eight years ago, said she is not sure where her random acts of kindness will take her this year. But it will start with a meal featuring C.J.’s favorite food of pecan pie.
“I am sure I will be giving our server a hefty tip and I will go by the police station and do something for them,” Sandle said.
Sandle hopes everyone will join her in showing a kind gesture, whether it be buying lunch of someone or simply giving a smile to a stranger.
“You never know the difference you can make in someone’s day,” she said.
But the best act of kindness, she said, would be for someone to share information about unsolved homicides.
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“For anybody who has information about the murder of my son or any of the unsolved homicides in Hamilton, please if you know something, say something. Give families some kind of peace, that would be the greatest gift of kindness you can give me,” she said.
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