SPECIAL REPORT: Bringing a light to the long journey that murder victim survivors face

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) - The sudden loss of a loved one to murder is a trauma few can fully comprehend without experiencing it firsthand. For families of murder victims, grief is compounded by an often lengthy and emotionally taxing legal process - one that can reopen wounds repeatedly before any sense of closure is reached.

For survivors of murder victims, the pursuit of justice involves far more than mourning a devastating loss. Court appearances, hearings, and procedural delays can stretch on for months or even years.

“You have to keep going back to the court, and it’s just all re-opened up, and you can’t heal,” said Genia Sims, whose 23-year-old grandson, Jacob Sims, was murdered in November 2024.

Under constitutional law, defendants are guaranteed the right to a speedy trial. In California, felony cases generally move to trial within 60 days of arraignment, though the timeline can vary based on circumstances. In Arizona, the timeline differs.

“The state has 270 days on a first-degree murder charge to get the defendant to trial, so that’s nine months,” explained Karolyn Kaczorowski, Yuma County Attorney. “As you know, many murder prosecutions take more than that.”

Delays may occur for a variety of reasons, often to protect the rights of the defendant. As a result, trials can take years to reach resolution—an especially long journey for grieving families.

When asked how enduring the court process has affected her, Sims responded candidly: “We don’t get any peace. It’s like Jacob’s death happens every day. It’s just repeating. You can’t move forward.”

While the legal system can feel overwhelming, victims’ rights advocates work to support families throughout the process. Esther Juarez-Martinez, a crime victim advocate supervisor, described her office’s role as guiding survivors from the earliest court appearances through sentencing.

“Our role is to bring clarity to the process and make sure they feel supported every step of the way,” Juarez-Martinez said. “We are involved from the initial appearance, the 24-hour hearing, all the way through sentencing. We also connect them with resources outside the courtroom.”

For the Sims family, that advocacy has proven crucial. During court proceedings in California, they were at one point asked to turn their “Justice for Jacob” shirts inside out before entering the courtroom.

“They want us to remove our shirt and turn it inside out before we can go into the courtroom,” Sims said. “There’s no laws or rules there for that courthouse saying that we cannot wear our ‘Justice for Jacob’ shirts.”

A victims’ advocate reviewed courthouse policies and confirmed the family was permitted to wear the shirts.

“Us wearing our t-shirt - our ‘Justice for Jacob’ shirt - we’re Jacob’s voice,” Sims said. “Jacob doesn’t have his voice anymore.”

Although the Sims’ court case is unfolding in California, the family remains part of the Yuma community. Local efforts to remember victims of violent crime include the city’s annual murder vigil, led last year by keynote speaker Councilmember Mark Martinez.

“That event did make you feel like people care,” Sims said. “They care about you, your family, and, of course, Jacob.”

Martinez emphasized the importance of shared experiences during the healing process.

“When families see other people going through the process or see other families feeling the same pain, it doesn’t necessarily make it better,” Martinez said. “But it makes it normal. It makes it okay to feel what they’re feeling.”

Even with community support, healing often hinges on the progression of the legal case. Yet what justice looks like can vary significantly among survivors.

“Justice looks different for everybody,” Kaczorowski said. “My idea of justice may not be theirs. There are people who would trade a long time in prison just to hear the defendant admit that he did what she said he did.”

For Sims, the focus remains on taking the next step.

“I think once this preliminary hearing is over, we can at least take a little bit of a breath,” she said. “Have a little bit of peace in knowing the trial is coming, and then justice is going to be served for Jacob.”

The legal process is rarely easy nor quick. But for surviving families, the goal remains constant: to see justice carried out in a court of law.