Moms of murder victims honored at Mother's Day celebration in West Palm Beach

Hannah Phillips, Palm Beach Post
·3 min read

WEST PALM BEACH — The parents of murdered children gathered in a West Palm Beach banquet hall Saturday night to remember their lost loved ones. The event doubled as a fundraiser for the Mothers Against Murderers Association, a group of more than 500 women fighting to keep their children's memories alive.

Saturday’s gala, which ran from 7 to 11 p.m., also served as a prelude to Mother’s Day. To the women whose children are no longer around to celebrate, the holiday serves as a painful reminder of what’s been lost.

In spite of this — or because of it — MAMA founder Angela Williams decked the banquet hall in her signature red, black and silver and kicked off a night of good food and better company. Williams has lost more than 20 family members to murder since 1999, but it wasn’t obvious from the way she danced Saturday.

Angela Williams, founder of Mothers Against Murderers Association, brandishes a check for $1,000, donated during a Mother’s Day gala on May 11, 2024. Williams has relied on donations to sustain the nonprofit for more than two decades.
Angela Williams, founder of Mothers Against Murderers Association, brandishes a check for $1,000, donated during a Mother’s Day gala on May 11, 2024. Williams has relied on donations to sustain the nonprofit for more than two decades.

“We don’t want to make tonight sad,” she said into a mic. The women around her nodded in agreement. “We want to put some smiles on your faces, because we know it’s hard this time of year.”

Mothers Against Murders Association supports more than 500 women in their grief

Williams founded MAMA in 2003 after her nephew, Torrey Manuel, was killed outside his West Palm Beach apartment. The nonprofit began as a two-person support group in Williams' living room but now supports more than 500 mothers — about 100 of whom attended Saturday’s event.

Each has a different story to tell. Sheila Banks’ godson, Corey Jones, was killed by an off-duty police officer on a highway exit ramp in Palm Beach Gardens after his car broke down. Sharon Danford’s 17-year-old son, Se’Sawn Danford, was killed in a triple homicide in 2014.

Sharon Spence is the rare MAMA member whose child was not murdered. Her son, Willie, died in a fatal SUV crash in Tennessee. Willie was a runner-up on Season 19 of the singing competition "American Idol" in 2021. Spence honored him Saturday with a performance of “The Wind Beneath My Wings,” made famous by Bette Midler.

Ann Cadaret cries during a performance by Sharon Spence at a Mother's Day Gala, hosted by the Mothers Against Murderers Association, on May 11, 2024. Cadaret attended the gala with Robbin Jackman, whose son Romen Phelps was killed by an off-duty police officer.
Ann Cadaret cries during a performance by Sharon Spence at a Mother's Day Gala, hosted by the Mothers Against Murderers Association, on May 11, 2024. Cadaret attended the gala with Robbin Jackman, whose son Romen Phelps was killed by an off-duty police officer.

At the table nearest her, attendee Ann Cadaret cried. She wore a homemade pin with the face of her late friend Romen Phelps on it. Phelps was a A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts alum who was shot and killed in the high school’s theater by an off-duty police officer in 2022.

Several women gave short speeches thanking Williams for the advocacy work she has done for more than two decades. A stone’s throw from the banquet hall sits the MAMA headquarters, where Williams hosts potlucks, toy drives and fundraisers for victims' families throughout the year.

Craig Goldenfarb, a personal injury lawyer in West Palm Beach who has represented members of MAMA in court, helped fund Saturday’s event. He presented Williams with a $1,000 check and urged the mothers to consider suing the apartment complexes, hotels and bars where many of their children had been killed.

Several women took his card before the night ended.

Angela Williams: Mothers Against Murderers founder gets hero treatment at Miami Heat game

Reach the Mothers Against Murderers Association at info@mamawpb.org or 561-249-7974.

Hannah Phillips covers criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism and subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Mother's Day gala in West Palm Beach honored moms of murder victims