Thibodaux, La. - The last year has been so quiet around Delene Himel's home.
"He made his presence known wherever he went," she says. "Would it be here or Walmart, everybody knew he was coming."
Himel had a special connection with her grandson since the day he was born. Jori had cerebral palsy and Himel says though he couldn't walk or talk, he could always smile.
"You never heard anything from him other than a giggle or you'd see a smile," says Himel. "I mean, he was happy all the time. Even when he was hurting, he was happy."
Thibodaux police say Jori's father, Jeremiah Wright, told investigators he was tired of taking care of the little boy. Detectives say Wright murdered his son, decapitating and dismembering the 7-year-old's body.
"You wonder if he's forgiven you for not being there," says Himel, tears running down her face. "Parents aren't supposed to kill their kids."
Dozens of people gathered at St. Genevieve Catholic Church Tuesday evening. Shortly after 7:00, there was a brief prayer and then a memorial balloon release. The balloons featured the words "Justice For Jori."
After the release, friends and family gathered around the boy's mother, Jesslyn Lirette, offering hugs and words of encouragement.
Lirette says she is so thankful for the show of support. She says she hasn't always felt support in the year after Jori's death. She says she has faced criticism from some members of the community. The accused killer of her son was her boyfriend at the time, as well as the child's father.
Himel says she tries to block out the gruesome details and remember the many good times she had with Jori. Time was such a gift.
"We knew when he was born that he probably wouldn't be here long," she says. "We were told he wouldn't last 24 hours so you get your mind set for that, and then he comes along for seven years and then a monster takes him away from you?"
Wright faces a first-degree murder charge. His doctors recently declared him competent to stand trial. He has a sanity hearing scheduled for September 21.
Jesslyn Lirette (center) at Tuesday's memorial for her son
