WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — A candlelight vigil was held Saturday night to remember 26-year-old Angel Snell, a woman stabbed to death in late July.
Family and friends said even though Snell is not here with them, her joyful spirit is still felt as they come together to honor her.
“She was a great woman, a great mother, she always had a smile on her face,” Angel’s aunt said.
Her mother Cherie Smith said it breaks her heart, but her daughter’s smile cannot be taken from her.
“She used to say, ‘Mom, I gave this lady my shoes. Mom, I gave this lady my pants. Mom, I gave this lady my shirt.’ She really was a cheerful loving girl,” Smith said.
Something many say they see in Snell’s five-year-old, Al-Honesty Snell. Al-Honesty came to the vigil dressed in her mother’s favorite color purple with a huge picture of her mom.
“And even my face in the back,” Al-Honesty Snell said.
“She’s already saying that she wants to get her education, she wants to go to college, get a car. I’m going to put that in her head,” Smith said.
She also wants to remind her how much of a fighter and how strong Snell was. Winter Haven police have arrested 21-year-old Kenneth Forseyth.
Forseyth was booked into the Polk County Jail. He is facing charges of second-degree murder, a false report to a law enforcement officer, and destroying or tampering with evidence.
Police said during questioning, Forseyth told them he started a small fire. Snell approached him and the two flew into an argument.
That’s when police said Forseyth stabbed Snell multiple times, but Smith believes more people were involved.
“I still believe a lot of us does that there’s more involved,” Smith said.
“You can’t hide from God, and you can’t hide from mommy,” Al-Honesty said.
Snell’s mother said during this painful time what keeps her going is all the love around her.
“We have us with her forever honey. As long as we carry her memory, each and every one of us carries a little piece of her memory that we have she will never die,” Snell said.