Victory!!!

In the spirit of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday I’ve got the greatest news to share and be thankful for. My letter was received today from the corrections department, dated 11/15/22. First, a huge THANK YOU to all who have signed our petition here, and the many others that were circulated, to those who wrote letters, prayed and kept our family in your thoughts…. The support and strength in numbers and the actions contributed by each and every one of you helped to make a collective difference within our Justice system. Thank you for taking a stand with us. The good news is, the Michigan Department of Corrections has voted “to withdraw interest in this case and will not be proceeding toward release” for offender #309305, Lionel Villarreal. Our family’s Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday will mean something extra special this year after a hard summer and fall of worry and heartache. A huge weight has been lifted from my chest. (I’ve been watching the news releases on MDOC’s website, granted release of convicted 2nd degree murderers has been very common the last 12 months in Michigan due to funding cuts and over crowding, honestly it was disheartening to see.) So for me, this is just another testament in my life that God’s love truly never fails, He is so Good! Many Thanks, Prayers and Blessings to you all. I will never forget the many friends and family who stood with me in pushing for continued Justice, but also, I’ll always remember the hundreds of strangers willing to stand with us, write their letter or statement, and sign their name to a petition for a girl and family they never knew. …with all thanks and praise belonging to God, in the kindest regards, THANK YOU. - The Henning/Sanchez Families