It had been years since The Citizen had heard from the family of Julie Monson, the Auburn teenager who was killed 25 years ago in a brutal murder that remains officially unsolved. Though the case has retained heavy interest locally all of these years, the Monson family had effectively gone underground by leaving the area and saying little about the case - and who can blame them?

When personal tragedy is brought back to the surface publicly, it adds to the pain family members suffer. I remember watching a Sept. 11 anniversary story a few weeks ago that reinforced that point for me. Children who lost parents in the World Trade Center talked about how painful it is every time they see footage of the attacks on television, and many blasted the media for being insensitive to their plight.

How would you like it, one of the children asked, if you had to watch the death of your mother or father every year on television?

Questions like that made it a difficult decision for us to run a story on the 25th anniversary of the Monson murder. We decided it was a story that needed to be published in large part because justice still has not been served, and largely because so many people feel so passionately about how the case has played itself out through the years. We ran the story on Sunday, and the responses from readers varied. Some said we shouldn't have brought it up again. Others said it was great journalism.

Then came a surprise. Julie Monson's brother, Charles “Chuck” Monson, called and said he was willing to talk with our reporter. Over the phone on Tuesday night, Charles told a heartfelt account of how his family has tried to honor Julie in the quarter century since she passed away.

“Appreciate the beauty that is right in front of your eyes,” Charles said. “Don't take your blessings for granted. Don't hang on to resentments. Forgiveness is a gift that you give to yourself.”

It was one of the most courageous actions I've seen from a story source since I came to The Citizen. Charles' words seemed to touch readers - and I count myself among them - in a special way. Take a look at what some readers posted to our Citizens' Say feature at the bottom of the story on our Web site. From a poster named Susan: “How gracious of you, Chuck to share some of the peace you have found throughout the past 25 years. I believe this is the greatest gift you give your own precious daughter. You honor Julie, your parents, and the community with the loving man you have become. You have kept the light burning in the hearts of many and I thank you today for your words to our still grieving community.” From Peg: “I went to High School with Julie and sang in the HS choir with her. She was a good person. This was a beautiful article and good reminder that on this 25th anniversary we should honor the person that Julie was. Thanks Chuck for putting that into perspective.”

Executive editor Jeremy Boyer's

column runs Saturday in The

Citizen and he can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 231 or jeremy.boyer@lee.net