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(May 11) -- A woman whose husband was shot to death by people responding to a Craigslist ad says her faith in God and the outpouring of love and support she has received are keeping her going.
"I cry every day," Charlene Sanders said on NBC''''s "Today" show this morning. "I miss my husband so bad."
Clabon Terrel Berniard, 23, Kiyoshi A. Higashi, 22, and Joshua N. Reese, 20, pleaded not guilty Monday to first-degree murder, robbery and assault. A fourth suspect, Amanda C. Knight, 21, pleaded not guilty to the charges last week. Investigators believe the group was involved in another Craigslist attack in Lake Stevens, Wash., 60 miles north of Edgewood, where the Sanders family was attacked. Nobody was slain in that robbery.
The nightmare for Sanders began with an ad for a diamond ring that she and her husband, James, posted on Craigslist. According to police, Knight responded to the ad, and on April 28 she and a man went to the Sanders'''' house just outside of Tacoma to look at the ring. They said they were considering buying it as a Mother''''s Day gift. After they agreed on a price, Charlene Sanders said, the man pulled out a gun.
"Then I could feel rushing around, and my husband and I were looking at each other, panicking, saying, ''''Just take it! Take it! Take anything you want! Don''''t hurt us! Don''''t hurt us! Don''''t hurt us!,''''" Sanders recalled this morning.
The couple were tied up and put facedown on their kitchen floor while two other men entered and wrangled with the couple''''s sons, ages 14 and 10, downstairs. One of the men kept screaming "Where''''s the stuff? Where''''s the stuff? Where''''s the safe?" Sanders recalled.
Then, she said, she was kicked in the head, setting off a deadly chain of events.
Seeing his mother attacked, the 14-year-old son went after the robber and was pistol-whipped. At that point, James Sanders freed himself from the zip ties and went to the aid of his son. That''''s when Charlene Sanders heard the gunshots.
She said she held her husband in her arms as the color drained from his face.
"I just kept saying, ''''Honey, please stay with me! Stay with me! Stay with us! Don''''t go, don''''t go!'''' and he was just barely gasping for air," Charlene Sanders told reporters last week. "They took the love of my life."
The robbers put a gun to the back of her head and began counting down out loud.
"I''''m just screaming, and my kids are standing there. And I''''m like, ''''Oh please, God, don''''t let them kill me, don''''t let them kill my kids, don''''t let them kill me in front of my kids,''''" Charlene told reporters last week.
On May 1, Higashi, Reese and Knight were arrested for allegedly driving in a car without a license plate. Berniard surrendered May 6.
On NBC this morning, Charlene said she has taken on her husband''''s dedication to Christianity.
"My mission was defined on April 28 when he was ripped from us," Charlene said. "And that is truly the only reason I can sit here today, is because of my faith in Christ."
Appearing with her on the show, Derek Sanders, James'''' brother, remembered him as a family man and a person others would aspire to emulate. "He''''s an example of a real man, a real family man and a husband and father," he said.
Filed under: Nation, Crime, Top Stories
(May 11) -- A woman whose husband was shot to death by people responding to a Craigslist ad says her faith in God and the outpouring of love and support she has received are keeping her going.
"I cry every day," Charlene Sanders said on NBC''''s "Today" show this morning. "I miss my husband so bad."
Clabon Terrel Berniard, 23, Kiyoshi A. Higashi, 22, and Joshua N. Reese, 20, pleaded not guilty Monday to first-degree murder, robbery and assault. A fourth suspect, Amanda C. Knight, 21, pleaded not guilty to the charges last week. Investigators believe the group was involved in another Craigslist attack in Lake Stevens, Wash., 60 miles north of Edgewood, where the Sanders family was attacked. Nobody was slain in that robbery.
The nightmare for Sanders began with an ad for a diamond ring that she and her husband, James, posted on Craigslist. According to police, Knight responded to the ad, and on April 28 she and a man went to the Sanders'''' house just outside of Tacoma to look at the ring. They said they were considering buying it as a Mother''''s Day gift. After they agreed on a price, Charlene Sanders said, the man pulled out a gun.
"Then I could feel rushing around, and my husband and I were looking at each other, panicking, saying, ''''Just take it! Take it! Take anything you want! Don''''t hurt us! Don''''t hurt us! Don''''t hurt us!,''''" Sanders recalled this morning.
The couple were tied up and put facedown on their kitchen floor while two other men entered and wrangled with the couple''''s sons, ages 14 and 10, downstairs. One of the men kept screaming "Where''''s the stuff? Where''''s the stuff? Where''''s the safe?" Sanders recalled.
Then, she said, she was kicked in the head, setting off a deadly chain of events.
Seeing his mother attacked, the 14-year-old son went after the robber and was pistol-whipped. At that point, James Sanders freed himself from the zip ties and went to the aid of his son. That''''s when Charlene Sanders heard the gunshots.
She said she held her husband in her arms as the color drained from his face.
"I just kept saying, ''''Honey, please stay with me! Stay with me! Stay with us! Don''''t go, don''''t go!'''' and he was just barely gasping for air," Charlene Sanders told reporters last week. "They took the love of my life."
The robbers put a gun to the back of her head and began counting down out loud.
"I''''m just screaming, and my kids are standing there. And I''''m like, ''''Oh please, God, don''''t let them kill me, don''''t let them kill my kids, don''''t let them kill me in front of my kids,''''" Charlene told reporters last week.
On May 1, Higashi, Reese and Knight were arrested for allegedly driving in a car without a license plate. Berniard surrendered May 6.
On NBC this morning, Charlene said she has taken on her husband''''s dedication to Christianity.
"My mission was defined on April 28 when he was ripped from us," Charlene said. "And that is truly the only reason I can sit here today, is because of my faith in Christ."
Appearing with her on the show, Derek Sanders, James'''' brother, remembered him as a family man and a person others would aspire to emulate. "He''''s an example of a real man, a real family man and a husband and father," he said.
Filed under: Nation, Crime, Top Stories
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