Parents speak out on daughter’s murder
Over 11 years ago, Gulfport residents Angela and Chris Shortt’s lives were flipped upside down when their 16-year-old daughter was murdered at their home in Virginia. Although the case is closed and the killer behind bars, the Shortt’s will be going on ‘Dateline: NBC’ this evening to tell their story.
“She loved anybody and everybody. She was just a happy-go-lucky girl.” Caring, silly, a social butterfly: these are just some of the ways the Shortt’s describe their daughter Meghan. Meghan’s life tragically came to an end on April 10th, 2008 when she was murdered and sexually assaulted by a friend and classmate, leaving the family with questions ever since. “Why? Why, why? What did she do so bad to you that you had to kill her?”
Investigators discovered the suspect, Robert Barnes, had previously been romantically rejected by Meghan, driving him to murder. Investigators didn’t come across Barnes first as the investigation was first centered around a family friend. “My husband’s best friend, Robert Hicke, had, we had found out through Meghan that he’d been touching her.”
The shocking revelation led the Shortt’s to investigate. However, with Meghan’s death, no charges could be successfully filed. Feeling like Hicke got away with it, the Shortt’s are taking to ‘Dateline: NBC’ to tell their story. “He’s still in Iowa, going to church and everything else. Who knows who, what girls he’s trying to groom now.”
And for their daughter’s killer who was sentenced to life in prison. “He has to live with that. I mean, I’ve lost my daughter because of him, but I can’t hold that. I’ve forgiven him, as hard as that is, it’s hard, but I can’t hold that grudge every day.”
Tonight’s two hour ‘Dateline’ begins at 8 p.m.
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