ELIZABETH CITY, NC. — Family and friends of 19-year-old Amarriah Smith gathered on the campus of Elizabeth City State University to remember and honor her life.
This week marks a year since the college sophomore was murdered.
News 3's Leondra Head spoke to Amarriah’s parents, who say the last year has been tough without their daughter.
Previous coverage: ECSU mourns death of 19-year-student found in trunk of Edenton man's car
"It has been a rough journey for us. It’s hard to come back here. It used to be a happy place to come back to," said Terkessha Odom, Amarriah Smith's mother.
Smith's body was found in Beaufort County on Jan. 17 in the trunk of Jordan Isaiah Thomas's car.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation says a tow truck employee found Amarriah Smith’s body after being called to move Thomas's car, which had been abandoned in a parking lot.
Detectives say that after Thomas left his car in the private parking lot, he stole another car from that location. The stolen truck was located at ECU Health Beaufort Hospital, where Thomas was arrested.
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Thomas was arrested in connection with Smith’s murder. Her mother says the two were acquaintances.
"She met him at the tattoo shop that he owned about a mile from the campus. Her friends were going there, and that’s where they met him," Odom said.
Evidence was also found at Thomas's home in Edenton.
Detectives say it's unclear whether the murder happened at Thomas's home or another location.
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"It’s been a struggling year, holidays, birthdays," LaWayne Odom, Smith's father said.
Thomas is awaiting trial. Head asked Amarriah's parents what justice looks like to them.
"It would be that he never be able to get out or hurt anyone again, possibly a life sentence," Odom said.
As for Smith, her family hopes her legacy lives on. She was a sophomore majoring in education at ECSU with hopes of becoming a teacher.
"She found joy in anything. Amarriah mostly loved people. She loved to joke. She loved to dance," Odom said.
Thomas's next hearing is scheduled for February 17, 2025 and he's scheduled to have another hearing on March 13, 2025.
