SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah murder that shocked the community and went unsolved for years is now the center of an event aimed to bring together key players who ultimately solved the case.
The painful story of Sherry Black, murdered outside her small bookstore in South Salt Lake City in 2010 is being retold in a new light.
"[It was] horrific and unimaginable," Courtney Hawks, granddaughter of Sherry Black reflected. "Then spending all those years wondering who it was and what we ever have closure and answers to this case was really hard."
"The Bookstore Murder: A Journey for Justice: The Sherry Black Story," is an event geared toward true crime enthusiasts.
"It's important to us to share her story share what law enforcement did for our family, and what it took to solve this crime in a responsible way that would make my grandma proud," Hawks explained.
The show will take a deep dive into specifics of the case, analyzing the violent crime and the importance of DNA.
"Genetic Genealogy was used in solving my mom's case, and we just got a law passed the Sherrie Black Law that put some guardrails up for law enforcement to be able to continue to use genetic genealogy," explained Sherry Black's daughter Heidi Miller.
Black's murder is a disturbing story that captured one of the biggest names in true crime podcasts, Ashley Flowers.
Her podcast, "Crime Junkies," has millions of listeners as she's followed this case closely.
Flowers will be on the panel of the event along with the detective who solved the crime, a genetic genealogy expert and other key individuals.
Miller hopes her mother's story gives others hope for justice and helps to pay tribute to Black's legacy.
"I'm able to move on in ways that I wasn't able to for 12 years," she explained. "And I want other people to be able to, to have that opportunity."
Money from tickets sold for the event that is being hosted on April 27 will benefit the Sherry Black Foundation, which has a mission of creating safe communities by removing barriers in the criminal justice system in order to advance investigations.
