LEWISTON, Maine — Family and friends from the Lewiston community gathered Saturday night to remember Donny Giusti, a 38-year-old man who was killed in a brawl last year.
Giusti died at Central Maine Medical Center, three days after a rock was thrown at his face in Kennedy Park during a fight.
"It doesn't seem like it's been a year," Giusti's father Brian Thompson said. "It seems like it happened yesterday."
His father and uncle, Jim Thompson, say the gathering was a chance for loved ones to get together and grieve. The group wrote messages for Giusti on balloons and released them together.
"We let all the balloons go and it was windy so a lot of them went into the tree -- except one yellow one went straight up in the air," Jim Thompson said. "We said 'look, one lone balloon' and I said that's Donnie bringing it home."
It took police nearly 10-months to make an arrest. Back in April, seventeen-year-old, Emmanuel Nkurrunziza was charged with manslaughter. Two others, 23-year-old Pierre Mousafiri and 13-year-old Lewiston boy were charged with assault.
In response to the violence, Lewiston residents hope to avoid any more unnecessary deaths by taking action to protect their town. A 10 p.m curfew and stronger park video surveillance are among just a few of their new safety measures.
As time goes on, Giusti's family remains confident that each passing day brings them that much closer closure. Saying in time -- justice will be served.
"It's been a year and nothing changes with my family," Jim Thompson said. "We still want justice for Donnie and I think soon, in the near future, we are going to get it."
The teen charged with manslaughter is scheduled to appear in court again on July 2nd where a judge is set to rule on whether he will be charged as an adult.