Families of crime victims gather for annual Tree of Angels in Copperas Cove

By LYNETTE SOWELL 

Cove Leader-Press 

Every December, the Coryell County District Attorney’s office holds an event when families who have lost members due to violent crimes can gather and remember their loved ones. 

Monday evening, the gathering was held in the Copperas Cove Police Department’s community room. 

A table of angel ornaments was displayed in the lobby, where family members selected an ornament and placed it on the tree. 

After the ornaments were placed, Coryell County District Attorney Dusty Boyd began the evening with remarks, saying he wanted to do something a little different than in the past. He said he touched base with some of the families ahead of time and asked if they would be comfortable sharing their experiences that evening.

“I know we have one young individual who’s in the room today, this is their first time here. He just lost his brother in September to a crime,” Boyd said. “And in talking with Joe before we started, you’re going to go through a lot of challenges, and how you navigate this is really important.” 

Faye Litchfield Powell and her husband, James, have attended the event annually in memory of her brother, Raymond “Red” Litchfield, who was shot in his home just outside Copperas Cove in January 1999. His death remained a cold case until 2014, after District Attorney Dusty Boyd took office. In 2015, Litchfield’s wife was convicted for murdering him and was sentenced to 60 years. 

Faye thanked Boyd for everything that his office has done over the years, and she said that every January, she would go to the local newspaper and remind people that her brother’s murder was unsolved, and asked for anyone who might have information to come forward. 

She and her husband credited Boyd’s office for opening the case up again for them. 

Jose Moreno of Copperas Cove also said a few words. Moreno’s brother, Manuel, was the victim of the Sept. 19, 2024, crash on F.M. 116 north of Copperas Cove, in which Cody Ray Vaughan, the driver of the other vehicle, was found to have a blood alcohol level that was more than three times the legal limit. Vaughan was arrested and jailed for intoxication manslaughter.  

“I’ve never claimed to be a perfect person, but I can tell you my brother, he is and was a perfect person. He stayed at home with my elderly parents and autistic brother. He took care of them instead of having a family and doing anything for himself. He got up every day at four o’clock in the morning just to be at that prison an hour early. I would gladly trade places with him if I could,” Moreno said. 

“I made it to the side of the road where the car was flipped and they flipped it back over, put him on that gurney, and they let me go down there as they loaded up. Luckily I was there to say that he was a veteran, so he can get that flag, but I that was my closure right then. 

“My family never really had it, so they’re seeking ultimate justice. Now. I’ve never lost anybody this close to me, and I know y’all have. So I know some of our situations are similar.” He said the day of the crash, he received a call from Gretchen McWhorter, the county crime victims’ coordinator.

The parents of Ethan Sandell of Gatesville also attended the event. Ethan and his friend, Kyle Tennison, were both 16 when they were provided alcohol at a party. The two died as a result of a vehicle crash on April 27, 2019. 

“What I really want to start with tonight is we’re survivors. We’ve made it through it, but some of the things I remember the most going through this was a lot of chaos when all that’s going on,” said Brandon Sandell. “For us, it led to the (state) capitol to get law changed on behalf of Kyle and my son, Ethan.

“It’s been a blessing in our lives, knowing that how they’ve been involved, not only in our lives and through our process, but each year that we go to this and we get to be around others.”

Coryell County District Attorney Dusty Boyd said that the event previously was held in Belton for both Bell and Coryell Counties, but upon his election to office in 2012, it was decided to bring the event back to Coryell County on its own. 

“We went down to Belton and we went to the Expo Center, and I really felt like our families and our experiences were really diluted by being around a bigger crowd in Belton, especially at the Expo Center,” Boyd said. “It was really like being at a big conference more than a fellowship. And so my second year in office, we decided to break away from Bell County, and we started hosting this event in Gatesville. As I was discussing with my staff this year about the Angel Tree, I said that we have quite a few families that make the trip up 116 every year, and it’s time to return the favor back to them from coming to Gatesville for all those years.”

It also served as a way for Copperas Cove to experience this event. 

“I’m really, really happy to see so many officers here tonight, because a lot of times what you can’t understand is the end game, if you’re there at the beginning, because you’re not there at the end game.”

Crime victims receive support from the DA’s office via the Crime Victims office. Families of the victims receive notifications of court dates and can receive counseling at no cost to them. 

In addition to Chief of Police Eddie Wilson and a lineup of officers, the evening was attended by Copperas Cove Mayor Dan Yancey and Mayor Pro Tem Vonya Hart along with Council member Dale Treadway.