Cristina Weir's Memory Lives On In Foundation To Help High School Students
By Jeff Todd
DENVER (CBS4)- Cristina Weir's family made the long trip from Virginia to Denver for one last court appearance. On Friday, Esstefan Hamlin was sentenced to 72 years in prison for first-degree burglary and second-degree murder for killing Weir.
"All in all we're satisfied. Nobody won. We lost our daughter for life that this guy lost his life, really, he'll be behind bars for the rest of his natural life," said Cristina's mom, Michele.
Somewhere around July 31, 2017 Hamlin broke into Cristina's Five-Points apartment. He killed her and stole her car.
"He felt guilty, he did commit the murder and he thought he should be sentenced for it," said Michele. "Nothing will bring her back no matter what, we lost. So, we just need to make the best of everything moving forward."
Cristina's murder shook anyone who knew her, a young and vibrant woman who loved travel, learning, and birthdays. The company she worked for, Velocity Global, flew about 40 employees from Denver to Virginia for her funeral. Many of those same people have attended nearly every court hearing for Hamlin. Dozens of people from Cristina's life showed up for the sentencing.
"She was just truly an incredible individual. She was in the prime of her life. She was 28 years old. She was just taking off," Michele said. "We knew there would be closure today. We knew this would end the chapter and we could move on."
Weir's family has established a foundation to help students at her high school in Prince William County, Virginia. Plans are being made for a fundraising event in Denver.
"I was so looking forward to this being the last trip to Denver for this reason. So the future trips to Denver will be on a better note for the foundation," said Michele.
LINK: Cristina Weir Foundation
Jeff Todd joined the CBS4 team in 2011 covering the Western Slope in the Mountain Newsroom. Since 2015 he's been working across the Front Range in the Denver Headquarters. Follow him on Twitter @CBS4Jeff.