SALT LAKE CITY—
She was a victim of a high-profile "thrill kill" shooting spree that left one of her best friends dead. But in the 14 years since she was badly wounded and her friend Zach Snarr was killed, Yvette Rodier has gone from crime victim to victim advocate.Rodier shared her story with the National Organization for Victim Assistance, which is holding its national convention in Salt Lake City. The group is an association of crime victim advocates who work with them in the justice system.
Speaking to a packed room on Wednesday, Rodier recounted the 1996 "thrill kill" crime. It was 14 years ago on Saturday that the 19-year-old Snarr took Rodier, then 18, on their first date. They went up Parley's Canyon to take pictures of the full moon.
While at Little Dell, Rodier recalled that they encountered Jorge Benvenuto. He pulled out a gun and shot the both of them without warning.
"I screamed, a shriek, and then I yelled, 'Oh my gosh!' " Rodier recalled.
Snarr was killed instantly. Rodier played dead in order to survive, even as the gunman continued to shoot at her. She told the crowd how Benvenuto bent over her, inches from her face, rifling through her pockets. She could feel his hot breath on her face as he pulled a set of keys from Snarr's body.
"After that, when he left, that's where my and Zach's story really begins," she told the crowd.
Bloody and afraid, Rodier climbed up a mountainside to get help. She said she believes Zach was watching over her. Benvenuto was captured a short time later. He had told police at the time he killed Snarr and shot Rodier because he wanted to know what it was like to see someone die.
Now, Rodier has become an attorney. She works for a non-profit legal clinic specializing in victims' rights.
"They're the ones who live with the crime, the consequences of what the offender did for the rest of their lives," Rodier told Fox 13 on Wednesday. "Whether it gets better or worse, they're living it and their voice should be heard."
Rodier shared the stage Wednesday with Zach Snarr's mother, Sy, who gave a moving account of her loss. She also spoke of the goodness of victim advocates.
"There are people out there who help you get through something like this," she said. "Because it's just hard, it's every parent's worst nightmare, everybody's worst nightmare and it hits you and you need that support. You need that help. So it's been an amazing gift to our family."
The women said the criminal justice system is starting to pay more attention to victims' rights, and being more sensitive to what they are going through. At the same time, the courts must balance that with ensuring the rights of a defendant are preserved.
Benvenuto remains in the Utah State Prison where he is serving a life sentence.
