{"id":305956,"date":"2026-10-13T20:00:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T20:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/305956\/"},"modified":"2026-10-13T20:00:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T20:00:12","slug":"silent-witness-march-remembers-the-berks-county-lives-lost-to-domestic-violence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/305956\/","title":{"rendered":"Silent Witness March remembers the Berks County lives lost to domestic violence"},"content":{"rendered":"

The walk may not have been long, but to those who made the journey it was incredibly meaningful.<\/p>\n

The dozens of people who traversed the few city blocks from Safe Berks to Reading Area Community College\u2019s Miller Center for the Arts on Tuesday afternoon carried red silhouettes.<\/p>\n

They each represented someone who had been murdered in a domestic incident in Berks County. Shields printed on the cutouts told the story of how they died.<\/p>\n

Each one tells a tale of unimaginable tragedy.<\/p>\n

Like the silhouette of Eloise Moyer. The 41-year-old was shot and killed in July 2021 in her Muhlenberg Township apartment at the hands of her boyfriend.<\/p>\n

Or Guerby Aspervil. The 40-year-old man who was shot and killed in August 2025 by his girlfriend.<\/p>\n

Or Stacy Beilhart. The 35-year-old was shot and killed in December 2015 in the Mount Penn home she shared with her boyfriend before he took his own life. According to relatives, she had been planning to separate from him at the time of the shooting.<\/p>\n

\"BerksBerks County District Attorney John T. Adams, right, helps lead the Safe Berks Silent Witness March and memorial service Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, at Reading Area Community College. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

The traveling memorial is a staple of the Safe Berks Silent Witness March, which is held each October to shine a light on Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This year was the 25th time it was held in Berks to remember those in the county who were the victims of domestic violence homicides.<\/p>\n

Safe Berks CEO Beth Garrigan said during the solemn event that there have been 96 victims of domestic violence homicides in Berks since the organization began tracking them in 1999.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe gather to remember those lives that were taken and remind our community that domestic violence affects all of us,\u201d she said. \u201cTo end domestic violence we must all be part of the solution and we must commit to talking about it every single day \u2014 not just when a tragedy strikes.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said domestic violence, which is too often viewed as a private issue, is actually a public health issue that affects the entire community.<\/p>\n

Garrigan noted that the organization added seven new shields this year representing five men, one boy and one woman who lost their lives to domestic violence since the last time the ceremony was held.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year, as we look at the new silhouettes being added to the memorial, we cannot overlook how many of the lives lost were men,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is an important reminder that domestic violence can happen to anyone regardless of gender, age or background.\u201d<\/p>\n

Garrigan said it is also a reminder that men need to be part of the conversation and, more importantly, part of the solution.<\/p>\n

\u201cEnding domestic and sexual violence is not a just an issue for women \u2014 we need men to help speak out about abuse, challenge behaviors and attitudes that allow violence to continue, and help to create a culture were respect, safety and healthy relationships are the expectation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe parents of Selena Zavala Hernandez, 20, who was killed in a domestic violence incident, leave the Safe Berks Silent Witness March and memorial service Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, at Reading Area Community College. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

Garrigan said one of the most important things people can do for victims and survivors of domestic violence is to make sure they are connected to help as quickly as possible. That is why the organization has been partnering with local law enforcement agencies to train officers in the lethality assessment program.<\/p>\n

The program, which was created in 2005 by the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence, is an intervention designed to prevent intimate partner abuse.<\/p>\n

When responding to domestic violence calls, law enforcement officers use a questionnaire to evaluate the victim\u2019s risk of being killed. If a victim is assessed as high risk, the responding officer immediately connects them to a Safe Berks advocate right from the scene.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat immediate connection can be the first step toward safety,\u201d Garrigan said. \u201cWe are grateful to the police departments across Berks County that have already committed to being trained. But our goal is bigger \u2014 we want every police department in the county to be trained so no matter where someone lives they will be connected to Safe Berks.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also commended District Attorney John Adams for helping to encourage law enforcement agencies to join the program, before inviting him to the podium to share his thoughts.<\/p>\n

\"SafeSafe Berks CEO Beth Garrigan speaks during the Safe Berks Silent Witness March and memorial service Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, at Reading Area Community College. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

\u201cI have witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of domestic violence,\u201d he said. \u201cI will continue to encourage every law enforcement agency in this county to participate in this assessment program and refer victims of domestic violence to Safe Berks.<\/p>\n

\u201cPolice officers in this county respond to domestic violence on a daily basis and have an opportunity to make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adams said officers must make sure all victims understand the resources that are available to them.<\/p>\n

But, he said, law enforcement is just one part of the solution.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you see something, say something,\u201d he told those gathered at the event. \u201cDomestic violence is too often viewed as a family matter but it is not. And, frankly, it is our community that suffers when domestic violence ravages a family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adams said abuse thrives when it is hidden or dismissed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe cannot allow silence to become a barrier to intervention,\u201d he said. \u201cWe all have a responsibility to recognize the signs, to take concerns seriously and help connect victims with the appropriate resources.\u201d<\/p>\n

How to find help<\/p>\n

Safe Berks provides free and confidential support services to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and their family members and significant others.<\/p>\n

Services are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and include emergency shelter, counseling, legal services, community outreach and response, medical advocacy and prevention and awareness education.<\/p>\n

Services are available in English and Spanish and can be translated into any other needed language.<\/p>\n

Safe Berks operates a 24-hour Hotline that can be reached at 844-789-SAFE (7233) or by texting the words SAFE BERKS to 20121.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The walk may not have been long, but to those who made the journey it was incredibly meaningful.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":305957,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[349,182,139,28,128,130,129,706],"class_list":["post-305956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-reading","tag-berks-county","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-reading-city","tag-reading-city-headlines","tag-reading-city-news","tag-top-stories-reg"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/305956","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=305956"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/305956\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/305957"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=305956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=305956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=305956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}