North Carolina lost a relentless advocate for education and a tireless public servant when Kathy Taft succumbed to a vicious attack in March 2010. More importantly, four children lost their mother, five others lost their grandmother and thousands of people in this community and across the state lost a woman they considered a friend and trusted confidant.

For those reasons, the trial of 32-year-old Jason Williford, accused of murder and sexual assault in the case, will be scrutinized considerably, especially here in eastern North Carolina. All those monitoring the events unfolding in Wake County will share a similar hope that fair and impartial justice will be served and that those who knew Taft finally have a measure of closure.

It was with a mixture of shock and disbelief that this community first received the news that Greenville native Kathy Taft was in a coma after suffering life-threatening injuries. Staying at the home of a friend while recovering from surgery, Taft was found the morning of March 6 with a laceration on the back of her head and remained unconscious before her death a few days later.

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