Not a day goes by that I don’t think about the events that occurred that fateful September night eight years ago. Lori was one of those people that just drew others to her. I grew up with her and her brother Mark. She was intelligent, thoughtful, and had a great sense of humor. With a model-like appearance, she was very popular with the guys- I caught myself flirting with her more than once. Very attractive, yet she had a certain independence about her that you had to admire.
I remember that night like it was yesterday. Mark and I lived in a house next door to Lori behind sorority row on a new street called Bayou Woods. The two homes had been built by their parents specifically so that Mark and Lori could live next door to each other. It was about 11pm and we went over to her house to use her computer. Her boyfriend was there and they appeared to be in a deep discussion when we got there, so we thought we’d make our visit short. We finished up and as we left I glanced at Lori and noticed a somewhat troubled look on her face. I never knew why. Mark and I went back to our house and studied for a couple hours.
At about 1am we opened the garage and started working out as was the custom at that late hour. We noticed an old white 4 door sedan parked directly across the street from our house. It seemed odd because at that time, there were no homes on that side of the street. It was also suspicious because the driver’s door was left slightly ajar, as if the driver did not want anyone to know he was there. We were about finished when I received a call from my friend James. His girlfriend lived nearby and he was worried because she wasn’t answering her phone. I told him we would go check on her.
Still skeptical of the strange car we shined our headlights into the windows, but saw nothing. We went over to James' girlfriend's apartment but no one was home. After that, we decided to go to McDonald’s for a late snack. We returned home and at about 2am I went to bed. Mark stayed up to wait for the Houston Chronicle to arrive.
I was almost asleep when I heard an explosion outside my window. I dismissed it at first, but then Mark came to my door yelling. We grabbed my baseball bat and ran out the front door. It was a disturbing scene. A large cloud of smoke was rising above Lori’s house. The garage door was bent out because of the heat of the fire inside. The orange flames lit up the street and driveway. I grabbed the phone and called 911. Mark took the bat and started banging on Lori’s window hoping she wasn’t inside. As I was talking with the 911 dispatcher, all of a sudden, Mark comes racing past me yelling, “Get inside!” He said, “There’s a guy with a gun in the backyard.” Overcome with fear, we locked the doors and headed to the most central part of the house, away from the windows. We just knew he would come in after us. But he never did.
The police, firemen, and ambulance came in about 5 minutes, sirens blaring. We watched them go in and out of Lori’s house. We repeatedly asked, “Is there anyone in there?” to everyone we could find. They avoided answering. Finally, we got one officer to admit what he knew. Those words are etched in my memory forever. He said, “To be honest with you, yes there is a woman in there. And she’s gone.” We were frozen. It was too much to take.
Ron Shamburger turned himself in later that night to police with the help of his preacher. We all testified at the trial and he was sentenced to death (this Wednesday). He never showed any remorse. I was told his first words to his parents after the murder were, “Did we beat Tech?” The Ags had played them that weekend.
Mark’s parents lived in London so it took a couple days before they could make it to College Station. I have known them for a long time and they truly are great, caring people. I remember them pulling up to our house as they arrived from the airport. It was the saddest scene anyone could ever imagine. There is no pain greater than losing your own child.
We moved. That was my senior year so I graduated the next semester. One thing that really touched me was the way the Aggie family treated Mark, his family, and me. From students and professors to administrators and department heads, the outpouring of support and thoughtfulness was overwhelming. Although it was a horribly sad and troubling time, I could not have been at a better place surrounded by any better people. It made me proud to be an Aggie.
What the events of that night taught me is that each of our lives hangs on by only a thread. And that it all can be taken away from us at any time for no particular reason. You often hear people say live everyday to its fullest, because it could be your last. I try to do that each day, and when I do, I think of Lori.
I remember that night like it was yesterday. Mark and I lived in a house next door to Lori behind sorority row on a new street called Bayou Woods. The two homes had been built by their parents specifically so that Mark and Lori could live next door to each other. It was about 11pm and we went over to her house to use her computer. Her boyfriend was there and they appeared to be in a deep discussion when we got there, so we thought we’d make our visit short. We finished up and as we left I glanced at Lori and noticed a somewhat troubled look on her face. I never knew why. Mark and I went back to our house and studied for a couple hours.
At about 1am we opened the garage and started working out as was the custom at that late hour. We noticed an old white 4 door sedan parked directly across the street from our house. It seemed odd because at that time, there were no homes on that side of the street. It was also suspicious because the driver’s door was left slightly ajar, as if the driver did not want anyone to know he was there. We were about finished when I received a call from my friend James. His girlfriend lived nearby and he was worried because she wasn’t answering her phone. I told him we would go check on her.
Still skeptical of the strange car we shined our headlights into the windows, but saw nothing. We went over to James' girlfriend's apartment but no one was home. After that, we decided to go to McDonald’s for a late snack. We returned home and at about 2am I went to bed. Mark stayed up to wait for the Houston Chronicle to arrive.
I was almost asleep when I heard an explosion outside my window. I dismissed it at first, but then Mark came to my door yelling. We grabbed my baseball bat and ran out the front door. It was a disturbing scene. A large cloud of smoke was rising above Lori’s house. The garage door was bent out because of the heat of the fire inside. The orange flames lit up the street and driveway. I grabbed the phone and called 911. Mark took the bat and started banging on Lori’s window hoping she wasn’t inside. As I was talking with the 911 dispatcher, all of a sudden, Mark comes racing past me yelling, “Get inside!” He said, “There’s a guy with a gun in the backyard.” Overcome with fear, we locked the doors and headed to the most central part of the house, away from the windows. We just knew he would come in after us. But he never did.
The police, firemen, and ambulance came in about 5 minutes, sirens blaring. We watched them go in and out of Lori’s house. We repeatedly asked, “Is there anyone in there?” to everyone we could find. They avoided answering. Finally, we got one officer to admit what he knew. Those words are etched in my memory forever. He said, “To be honest with you, yes there is a woman in there. And she’s gone.” We were frozen. It was too much to take.
Ron Shamburger turned himself in later that night to police with the help of his preacher. We all testified at the trial and he was sentenced to death (this Wednesday). He never showed any remorse. I was told his first words to his parents after the murder were, “Did we beat Tech?” The Ags had played them that weekend.
Mark’s parents lived in London so it took a couple days before they could make it to College Station. I have known them for a long time and they truly are great, caring people. I remember them pulling up to our house as they arrived from the airport. It was the saddest scene anyone could ever imagine. There is no pain greater than losing your own child.
We moved. That was my senior year so I graduated the next semester. One thing that really touched me was the way the Aggie family treated Mark, his family, and me. From students and professors to administrators and department heads, the outpouring of support and thoughtfulness was overwhelming. Although it was a horribly sad and troubling time, I could not have been at a better place surrounded by any better people. It made me proud to be an Aggie.
What the events of that night taught me is that each of our lives hangs on by only a thread. And that it all can be taken away from us at any time for no particular reason. You often hear people say live everyday to its fullest, because it could be your last. I try to do that each day, and when I do, I think of Lori.
