February 26, 2018
SVSU plans candlelight vigil for slain student
Saginaw Valley State University students are organizing a candlelight vigil on campus to remember a student who was recently killed.
The vigil for the late Katie Bonini will be held Wednesday, Feb. 28 from 6 to 6:30 p.m. in the campus courtyard. In the event of inclement weather, the vigil will be moved indoors to the Thompson Student Activities Room in the Student Life Center.
“We wanted to host this event to let Katie's friends and family know that they aren't alone and that we as a community are here to support them through this difficult time,” said Nik Berkobien, a psychology major from Saginaw. “We also wanted to host this event to promote awareness of domestic violence, the thing that ultimately led to this tragedy occurring in the first place, so we can work to prevent tragedies like these from occurring in the future. But most importantly, we wanted to pay tribute to Katie.”
Bonini was killed in an apparent murder-suicide in Sebewaing that also claimed the life of her mother and father. She was a psychology major.
Organizers have created a Facebook event page for the vigil at https://www.facebook.com/events/328774954296513/?notif_t=plan_user_joined¬if_id=1519245874578236.