Woman Whose Boyfriend Was Killed Wants Change: 'Our Dreams Died'

LONG ISLAND, NY —It has been 16 years since Jennifer Harrison lost the man she still believes was the love of her life after he was brutally stabbed to death in a parking lot — and not a day goes by that she doesn't wonder what could have been.

Harrison will join with New York State Senator Anthony Palumbo, Senator Alexis Weik, New York State Assemblymen Fred Thiele other lawmakers on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at the Arthur M. Cromarty criminal court complex in Riverside to call for the establishment of "Survivors of Homicide Awareness" month in New York — and unveil a victims’ rights reform package for the 2022 legislative session.

According to the lawmakers, many states already have an official designation for survivors of homicide. By New York officially recognizing November 20 to December 20 as "Survivors of Homicide Victims Awareness Month", New York would shed a light on the pain suffered by those left behind.

“As crime goes up in New York State, sadly, so too does the number of crime victims. Now, more than ever, it is critical for the legislature to recognize the struggles of victims by formally adopting Homicide Victims Awareness Month. Additionally, we need to enact common sense measures to better protect and support crime victims, and ensure that their voices are heard,” said Palumbo.

Key points of the 2022 legislative crime victims agenda include creating a lifetime order of protection for victims of violent crime, survivors of homicide victims and witnesses; providing notice to the crime victim’s representative that a parolee or releasee is being discharged or released; giving victims a choice for parole hearings of in-person statements at parole hearings, virtual, phone or in writing; increasing time of parole hearings from two to five years for violent crimes; amending the Less Is More legislation to exclude murderers, violent criminals and those that commit crimes against children; restructuring the parole commission to ensure victims advocates and law enforcement are included; and establishing a registry for repeat violent offenders, the lawmakers said.

Harrison, whose family owned the Senix Creek Inn in Center Moriches for years, grows quiet as she thinks about Kevin Davis, who she had loved for more than six years when he was stabbed to death after an altercation at a club in New Jersey. He was just 28 years old.

"I met him at a club in the city; it is a cute story," she said. "I was going down the steps and he was going up when some guy knocked into me and I fell. Kevin caught me, said, 'Come on, I’ll buy you a drink.' He came to my dorm the next day and that was it."

Both were in college at the time and the two began dating. He came to her dorm for the first time wearing a bright orange shirt, orange sneakers and white pants, she said. "I thought, 'Oh, my God, what is this guy wearing?'" she laughed.

But they started talking and, she said, they knew then that they'd found something special.

Harrison helped Davis through the loss of both his parents; their deaths derailed his life and dreams of pitching for a professional baseball team.

Just 21 and 23, they were young when they met, their lives ahead of them.

"We went through a lot together," Harrison said.

And, like so many young couples, they had their share of ups and downs, breaking up and dating others. But still, she said, there was a bond nothing could break.

He came to find her; she told him that maybe they weren't meant to be but, she said, "I will always love you."

Then came her birthday in 2004 and Davis appeared at Harrison's office with gifts; later, he met her and her friends for dinner and they drank champagne — the effervescent promise of a future suddenly once again sparkling ahead. "It was the best birthday I've ever had," she said. "I loved Kevin."

She later visited him at his apartment and saw that he'd kept a poem she'd written to him taped to his mirror the whole time.

Soon after, came the dark night when Davis got involved in the fight at the club; he and his friend were killed.

"He had been stabbed multiple times," Harrison said. "The knife was so drenched in blood they couldn't get fingerprints."

Sixteen years later, Harrison can still remember what she was wearing when she got the call that he was gone: a white, off-the-shoulder sweater, pink high heels, and the jeans he had bought her for her birthday.

Just before she got the call, she'd been thinking about their chance for a future, hoping they could make it work this time.

The phone rang and the words echo, still: "Something terrible happened."

Somehow, she drove home.

That cry for justice, born of a pain so deep it's defined her since, has carried her forward.

"I used to be very fun-loving, I lived life to the fullest. I was happy. This devastated me. I've never been the same since," Harrison said.

To this day, she can't go into hospitals, can't bear the sight of blood, cringes at the sound of police sirens.

She is no longer in a relationship, she said.

"I'm a single mom," Harrison said. "I know Kevin would have been a good father. Even though we had a rocky relationship and I knew what demons he was facing after his parents died — because of Kevin, I knew what it was like to be loved like that. He had a faith and belief in me that I've never found again. I can't settle for anything less; it's not easy to find."

Her voice filled with tears, years later, Harrison said quietly, "He was the love of my life."

Harrison said she believes they were finally on the right path "and very close to getting everything we wanted and being happy. And even if we didn't work out, I know that we would have been best friends."

If she could talk to him just one more time, Harrison would tell Davis how much she loved him. "I would tell him I wish we'd had a chance to find out what was going to happen — what life had in store for us, if we weren't robbed of it all. When they took him that night, they took me with him. I have never been the same since."

She added: "The life that I would have had was destroyed; it no longer exists. It died on January 15, 2005. The life and love we had — our dreams died."

Harrison will join with other families left behind by homicide Tuesday.

"In recent years, crime victims' rights have been marginalized as lawmakers in Albany passed legislation that has emboldened those intent on criminal behavior," Thiele said. "I applaud the work of Jennifer Harrison of Victims’ Rights NY to raise awareness of the needs of those affected by violent crimes, and appreciate the work of area state lawmakers to bring greatly needed reforms to the justice system."

Over the past few months, many Zoom calls, meetings and conversations have been held with various groups and individuals across the state to compile a list of needed reforms, Harrison said.

"Many of the advocates and survivors have devoted years of their lives fighting for these issues. The success of this legislative agenda will be a direct result of the resilience and dedication of everyone here in the name of a loved one not only in the pursuit of justice but to prevent others from suffering the horrors we have endured," she said. "These reforms will not only help with the plight of innocent victims but will also help restore public safety."