An Indianapolis pastor said he “honestly doesn’t know how to do life without Amanda” after he suffered the devastating loss of his wife at the hands of evil men, who shot her in cold blood just to rob her—but he still chose to forgive her killers.
The Blackburn family moved to Indianapolis from Anderson, S.C. in January 2012, so Davey Blackburn could become pastor of Resonate Church, a new congregation.
When Davey left for the gym early on November 10, leaving his 28-year-old wife Amanda and 15-month-old son Weston at home, he didn’t know that three dangerous criminals were targeting homes on his street that morning, and that they were waiting for him to leave so they could rob his next.
Larry Taylor, 18, and his accomplice 21-year-old Jalen Watson entered through the unlocked back door. Amanda did her best to protect little Weston, who was upstairs in his crib. According to court documents, Taylor didn’t shoot her then—he hit her with his gun and stole her bank cards, the Indianapolis Star reported Tuesday.
Watson and a third man, Diano Gordon, 24, then drove to two ATMs and attempted to withdraw cash, while they stayed in touch with Taylor, who remained at the Blackburn home. The two men planned to ditch Taylor after they got their cash, but Taylor “threatened to kill the woman if they left him,” according to court records. Ultimately, they were persuaded to go back for Taylor.
“Taylor stated that she charged at him and he shot her somewhere in the upper body so he would not be scratched,” an unidentified person who is cooperating with the investigation told police.
Then he shot her in the back of the head.
Davey returned from the gym to find his dying wife, who was taken off life support the following day. Racked with grief, he decided to focus on Amanda’s devotion to God, while admitting Tuesday “I honestly don’t know how to do life without Amanda” on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
Indianapolis police vowed that they would not stop until the killers were found. When Davey learned that the men who killed his wife had been arrested, he reacted by issuing a statement.
“Though everything inside of me wants to hate, be angry and slip into despair, I choose the route of forgiveness, grace and hope,” a portion of the statement read. “Today I am deciding to love, not hate. Today I am deciding to extend forgiveness, not bitterness. Today I am deciding to hope, not despair. By Jesus’ power at work within us, the best is still yet to come.”
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