Classmates of two Brockton brothers killed this past weekend are finding a way to grieve through helping others.
Eight-year-old David Rittenberg was friends with 8-year-old Edson Brito, who along with his 5-year-old brother Lason, was allegedly stabbed to death by their mother, Latarsha Sanders. David heard the grisly details after watching the news when investigators were near his house. It was only later the second-grader learned one of the victims was his friend.
“I had heard the helicopters Monday, I was so eager to know what was going on” David’s mother, Debra Egan, said. “When David walked in with the letter [from school] it was too bad. He had already known the details so there was no taking it back. It was just, ‘Mom, that lady did that to my best friend.’”
David, who has developmental disabilities, is now coping with the shocking crime by baking cakes to bring to a vigil in Edson’s favorite color.
He said he wants to bring 1,000 slices: enough for every person who attends the vigil to celebrate the lives of two young boys.
“I can’t wrap my head around it. There’s two ways to go, you either sit there and think about it or you get up and you ty to help, and that’s what we’re trying to do because I was physically sick sitting there and thinking about it,” Debra said.
The candlelight vigil will take place at 6 p.m. Thursday outside of 245 Prospect St. in Brockton.
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