Crime & Safety

SHU Remembers Slain Student

The "Service of Memory and Healing" came ten days after Moore's death

At a prayer service for slain Seton Hall University student Jessica Moore her family remembered her as an angel, one who laid her life down for a friend.

The university hosted the prayer service for Moore inside the Walsh Gymnasium at 4 p.m. and prayed for the continued recovery of shooting victims Nakeisha Vanterpool and Nicosia Henry.

All of the students were shot at an  off-campus party in East Orange on Sept. 25. Moore reportedly stood between Henry and the shooter, which limited Henry's injuries. Vanterpool and Nicosia, who were wounded at the same party, have since returned to campus and attended the service.  Accused shooter Nicholas Welch was arrested on September 27 and his alleged accomplice, Marcus Bascus, arrested on September 29.

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Two tartan-clad bagpipers flanked the doors of the gymnasium to begin the service where Moore's family shared emotional tributes.

Jessica Moore's stepfather, Olanda Tolliver, spoke tearfully at the end of the ceremony.  "I lost a daughter, but God gained an angel," he said. "Everywhere Jessica went and everyone she spoke to became attracted to her. My pastor said it best. 'Why do you think everyone loved your daughter,' he asked. I asked him why."

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Tolliver explained that his pastor helped him see that his daughter "gave her life to the Lord at age 6, and ministered to friends and others from that age." He said, "I knew that my daughter had been ministering to each and every individual she came in contact with."

He said, "These are not tears of sadness but of joy.  If I live same life as my daughter I will see her again.  Thank you, Seton Hall family."

Speaking to news reporters, Tolliver said, "Violence has shaken not just this community, but shaken communities around the world. Jessica laid down her life for a friend. That's love and we have to continue to practice love. We're all on one team, and we have one fight, and that's against violence."

Jessica's mother, Phyllis Moore-Tolliver, echoed her husband's sentiment. "Jessica was very peaceful she would never do harm to anyone.  Coming from a military community, Jessica taught and she learned how to protect and to have love for her brothers and her sisters as we continue the fight for gun control. I hope that Washington looks at [this] Gun control has to be under control."

"Her tiny footprint left a major impact on many people," said Moore's aunt, Cynthia Moore. "Our family is hurting but we will not let Jessica be forgotten."

The university encouraged those who attended to wear "Pirate blue" to honor Moore, an avid SHU sports fan. Many of the students, some hundreds in all, wore team jerseys or t-shirts in shades of bright blue. They made a stark contrast with the uniformed ROTC honor guard, dark-suited seminarians, South Orange and East Orange police officers, and the white-robed priests who led the service.

Rakiyah Marshall, 18, a friend of Moore saw her last on Friday night, as Moore prepared to leave campus for the East Orange party. As Marshall bought a snack from the vending machine, she watched Moore withdraw money from the ATM for the evening ahead.

"I came to say a last prayer for her," said Marshall.  "It has been hard, really, really hard."

Marshall was not alone in missing her friend and classmate: two screens at the front of the auditorium showed photos of Moore and messages written to her by friends, family, and Monsignor Liddy.  One note read, "Though I didn't know you, you have changed me." A note from Moore's brother read, "You always had my back when nobody else did." A simple note signed "Mom" read "I love you."

The service, which was broadcast by WSOU, began with the hymn "How Great Thou Art," and a welcome from Dr. Gabriel Esteban, Interim President of Seton Hall. He said, "Today is the day we remember the love of life that Jessica brought into this world."

"I see a sea of blue," said Esteban, adding, "The way forward is as a community." He urged his listeners to reflect on forgiveness as well as thanksgiving. "We are all in the hands of our Lord."

Listeners murmured responses to the prayers and listened silently as a soloist sang "On Eagle's Wings," which takes its lyrics from Psalm 91. Moore's Christian faith was a refrain throughout the service.

Moore's mother described her daughter as "Our angel on earth," and urged listeners to consider their own impact on others.

As the ceremony ended with a final blessing, students and faculty streamed out of the Walsh Gymnasium.  The mood was somber, students quiet, as they walked away in small groups into the gray afternoon light. As they left, a few Pirate blue-clad students turned for a last look at the screens still flashing photos of Jessica Moore, smiling into eternity. 


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