There is absolutely no excuse for the actions of a 15-year-old boy killing his own family. This has been more than just a shocking event for our community.
While the news has been portraying 15-year-old Nehemiah as a terrible person, we knew him differently. For our team it has been a week filled with tears, bad dreams, disgust, disappointment, and confusion. We appreciate the cards, hugs, sympathy and kind words that many have shared with us.
Most of us don’t know all the details of what happened inside the home of the Griego family on a daily basis. Therefore, it is not appropriate for any of us to judge what happened. Jesus Christ will be the ultimate judge.
The fact remains that a wonderful family is no longer with us.
Again, there is no excuse for the actions of Nehemiah. It’s just that our team knew him and his family very differently than what has been portrayed through the media.
I felt that it is appropriate at this time to share what Dr. Evelina Wrote regarding the beloved Greigo family.
This week has been a very long tough week. It is very hard to imagine what is going through a person’s mind when they do such terrible things. I would like take a moment to show everyone the happiness I saw in this family every week. I will always remember Greg, a very kind and soft spoken man that sometimes would remind me of my father. He would walk to the door in a rush, holding it open for his family to literally come busting through it with excitement that they made it in time for their adjustments. Sarah would come rushing in, out of breath with the help of Nehemiah to wrangle the kids through the door to set them free inside. And when I say free I mean running across the room, giving quick smiles at everyone in a hurry to make a mad dash for the toy/TV room. When the family finally made it to my table it would be Zephaniah, a spunky 9 year old, that would determine the order the family would get adjusted that day. Of course, he would always make himself last which would allow him to be the person to help me out by posting all the adjustments. Jael was the sweetest girl who would surprise me out of nowhere with a big hug, wrapping her arms around my legs and looking up with her smile stretching from ear to ear to say bye. Little Angelina was a little shy but she would sneak a peek around the wall to see if I would notice her watching me adjust. When I caught her, she would give me a huge grin, let out a shriek and run back to the playroom to make friends. And of course, I will not leave out Nehemiah. Nehemiah was both a good brother and son. The face of the boy I see on the news is not the same boy I would see in the office twice a week. Nehemiah came into the office with a shy smile, helping care for his sisters and joking around with his brother, we all know him as a sweet kid. This is not in any way to defend or excuse his actions but something went terribly wrong in his mind that I, nor anyone else, would ever understand. I know we saw this family regularly for only a small time of each day but I wanted to share something positive about them that you will not see or hear in the news. My heart, along with many others, has been struggling, not only for the loss of the family but for Nehemiah as well. I hope and pray for Nehemiah that he gets the help he needs and has the strength to deal with what has happened for the rest of his life. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Griego family. May God give you all the strength and guidance needed to get you through this terrible time. Even during the darkest of times, the stars have no other choice but to come out.
We will Miss you Greg, Sarah, Nehemiah, Zephaniah, Jael and Angelina.