"He's free"

Paul Patrick passed last night at the age of 58 after 12 long years of grappling with the shotgun pellets left in him by serial killer Sam Dieteman, who fired the gun, and Dale Hausner who orchestrated all of the killings and maimings.

Paul was shot from out of the darkness, randomly, on the night of June 8, 2006. He did not know why. I think he spent the last 12 years trying to find the answer to that question.

In his search for meaning, Paul found his "beautiful duty," as he called it--to be the face of the victims.

And he succeeded. On the day of his passing, I asked juror Sherry Carter what Paul had meant to her during the very long trial. Her answer: "Justice. It made us [jurors] feel, 'Let's make this wrong right."

That is just what Paul wanted and what gave his life purpose through such pain and loss as is difficult to imagine. Over the years he appeared on many TV shows that are shown throughout the world, trying to show people that victims of violence are not anonymous and forgettable but definite, unique, and powerful.

Paul's catastrophe upended the lives of his family.  He could not have survived without their dedicated support which they so freely gave. They took him for an Oreo milkshake, his favorite, on Thursday evening. He had a blast.

Hours later, he lost consciousness and the vigil was on.

With him through the last days of his life were his daughter Chrystal, brother Ken,  sisters Ruth and Colleen, and his young nephew, Trevor. The family was joined by the singular hero Saul Guerrero, who gave them those 12 extra years by saving Paul on the night of June 8, 2006. Paul spent his final weekend surrounded by love.

Ken, weeping,  told me "He's free." But they are now for mourning for themselves because they will "miss him so much."

And if you ever met Paul in person or got to know him through the pages of A Sudden Shot or through watching him on TV, you will know how vivid of a person he was.

He was wittier, I guarantee, than anyone else you've ever met. And he had more grit.

I'm a bit weepy myself now so I'll close. If you have a bit of change in your pocket, the Patrick family has done nothing but sacrifice for 12 grueling years. You can ease their burden here. It's the official account.

 Official GoFundMe for serial killer victim Paul Patrick 

MEDIA: 

The family is having private time right now.

They've asked you to contact me instead.

 @CamilleKimball  My DMs are open

ASuddenShot@gmail.com

Paul Patrick: The Wit and the Grit

Dear friends,

His life changed on June 8, 2006. He liked to sign the books with that date scrawled next to his name. He was using the one barely functioning hand he could still control to do those autographs.

It meant a lot to Paul Patrick to feel your support, to have his story told, to know that people could see what he and other victims of serial killers Dale Hausner and Sam Dieteman were going through.

He inspired so many of us. Those of us who got to know him personally and those who read his story.

Now it's time for us to say our farewells to this remarkable and inimitable man.

Paul Patrick's family is in vigil now as he is not expected to be with us for more than a few more days.

Paul's life as a wage earner came to an end on 6-8-06, the way he signed it, while expenses went through the roof. Serial killers don't pay restitution. The cost of their depraved actions is astronomical.

For those who would like to help out the family that has heroically rallied around Paul for these grueling years, here is the official Go Fund Me account. They have never asked for help before. If you spent 8 dollars on the book or saw him for free on TV, I hope you can put in $5 or $10 now.

Paul's GoFundMe


That photo, btw, was taken at the book launch of A SUDDEN SHOT. Paul had surprised me by bringing me those roses for me. I was flabbergasted. He could not have done it by himself. His extremely loving and dedicated family had to have helped him acquire those roses. Believe me when I tell you they are the sweetest, kindest people in the world and I will never get over how this horrible thing happened to them. If you can, please ease their burden a bit now.

I hope you all remember Paul at his best: The brightest eyes, the wittiest mind, the most devilish smile, and the strongest heart.