‘Don’t let his death be in vain’

After her son was killed in April 2015, Dorothy Turner turned to helping others

Sisters Ariah Turner, 8, and Je’ana Williams, 5, both of Aurora, drop off Christmas gifts and supplies for families staying at the Community Crisis Center of Elgin. They were helping their grandmother Dorothy Turner, who donated the gifts in memory of her son Devonte, who was murdered in Elgin last year. (Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com)

Dorothy Turner of Aurora, accompanied by her granddaughter Ariah Turner, donated gifts to the Community Crisis Center in Elgin in memory of her slain son, Devonte. (Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com)

Dorothy Turner said keeping her son Devonte’s memory alive helps her cope with his death. An Elgin man is awaiting trial on murder charges. (Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com)

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By Elena Ferrarin (eferrarin@dailyherald.com)

It’s been nearly 20 months since Dorothy Turner’s 20-year-old son was murdered in Elgin, and she still has no idea why.

She looks at photographs of Devonte, reads and rereads his autopsy and hospital reports; she visits his grave while waiting for the trial of the man accused of killing Devonte to start, hoping that will bring answers.

One thing that keeps Dorothy grounded is ensuring her son’s memory lives on, she says. “All I know is, to keep me not to go really, really insane and crazy, I have to keep doing stuff in memory of Devonte.”

To that end, Dorothy, who lives in Aurora, dropped off on Thursday morning four baskets of gifts — personal care items, gloves, scarves, toys, art supplies and more — at the Community Crisis Center in Elgin.

Staff members will distribute them to clients for Christmas, making sure everyone knows they are in Devonte’s memory, said Maureen Manning-Rosenfeld, director of client services at the Crisis Center. Devonte’s mother, she said, “is helping others, and that is a very nice memorial to her son.”

An Elgin man, William Ingram, was charged with Devonte’s murder in October 2015 and is being held on $4 million bond. His next status hearing is Feb. 10.

Dorothy started the Christmas donation tradition last year, when she found, through people she knew, two needy families to whom she gave gifts in her son’s memory.

This year she chose the Crisis Center as a way to help women and children with whom she identifies keenly, she said. She was a client of the shelter at age 16, when she had a son and was pregnant with her second child, and then again a few years later with her five children, she said.

Dorothy’s friend, Melinda Hunter of Elgin, also dropped off gifts in Devonte’s memory at the Crisis Center.

Hunter said she’s known Dorothy since the two were teens and knows how strong her bond is with her children. “Bad things happen to good people,” Hunter said. “Devonte left behind a lot of people. Don’t let his death be in vain.”

Dorothy also holds a memorial for her son every April, and next year she plans to ask attendees to donate school supplies in his memory, she said.

Her son’s death has consumed her life, she said. She knows her pain and anger have affected some of her relationships, but so far, she said, there isn’t much she can do about it.

“I’m not ready to accept it, I’m still in denial that my son is gone,” she said. “Eventually one day I’m going to, I think. Maybe after the trial. Who knows?”

But one thing she does know. “I’m going to keep doing things in memory of my son.”