tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83885387818099371912024-02-08T01:54:57.764-08:00McPeak's KidsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8388538781809937191.post-15098140011694567022013-02-10T18:22:00.001-08:002013-02-10T18:22:14.155-08:00The Final UpdateFriends,<br />
<br />
This will be the final update on the McPeak's Kids blog. Thank you for all of your support. Everything helped, from kind words to your generous donations of time, money, and clothing. <br />
<br />
The two people responsible for Matthew's death have been sentenced. Both Danielle McPeak and Don Walker III received 40 years in jail after being convicted of first degree murder.<br />
<br />
Here are the relevant news articles:<br />
Don Walker: http://articles.wdbj7.com/2012-10-09/christiansburg-home_32527720<br />
Danielle McPeak: http://articles.wdbj7.com/2012-05-25/christiansburg-home_31854945<br />
<br />
The children are safe, happy, and in good hands. And while Eion and Abby may never fully escape the shadow of their father's death or the reality that their mother is responsible, I have no doubt that they will grow and prosper.<br />
<br />
<br />
The support of this community helped my family in our time in need, and none of us will ever forget. You prevented financial ruin during a time of great sadness, but more importantly, you taught us hope. The kindness of strangers--strangers that we may never meet in person--showed us that for every act of evil, there are hundreds of others willing to do good.<br />
<br />
Thanks again, my friends. <i>You</i> are the heroes of this story. <br />
<br />
Best Regards,<br />
Eric Riddle & the McPeaksUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8388538781809937191.post-8779591031288260892012-05-24T12:28:00.003-07:002012-05-24T12:28:41.974-07:00Danielle's SentencingDanielle's sentencing for the murder of her husband, Matthew McPeak, will be on Friday, May 25th at 8:00am in the Christiansburg Courthouse in Christiansburg, VA, on the fourth floor.<br />
<br />
This is an open hearing and anyone can attend.<br />
<br />
If you'd like to see the final outcome of this case, you are welcome to join us.<br />
<br />
Danielle faces a sentence of 20 years to life in prison.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8388538781809937191.post-77589050910506971042012-02-29T12:44:00.002-08:002012-02-29T12:46:42.186-08:00Blood Drive and Sentencing InformationThere's less than 10 appointments left for the next Matt McPeak Memorial Blood Drive. Call Regina at 540-392-4569 to make your appointment now.<br /><br />Danielle's sentencing will be on Monday, March 12th, at 1:00pm at the Christiansburg courthouse. Be there by 12:30. It's an open court, so show up and give your support!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8388538781809937191.post-47446831448036997362012-02-28T11:15:00.003-08:002012-02-29T12:47:48.166-08:00Matt McPeak Memorial Blood Drive on March 10thThere will be another blood drive in Matt's honor on Saturday, March 10th, from 7:30am to 1:30pm. It will be at the Kent Square Red Cross in Blacksburg, VA.<br /><br />The Red Cross will pay for your parking in the nearby parking garage.<br /><br />Call Regina at 540 392 4569 to schedule an appointment.<br /><br />Come out and show your support for Matt and do some good in the process.<br /><br />And don't forget, the Danielle's sentencing is just two days later, on Monday, March 12th, in Christiansburg. We need to pack the courtroom and let the judge know exactly how much we miss Matt.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8388538781809937191.post-48885874270801189302011-12-31T10:38:00.000-08:002011-12-31T10:41:47.381-08:00A ConvictionIt's been awhile.<br /><br />A sad facet of our legal system is that it simply takes <span style="font-style: italic;">forever</span> for anything to be done, and that has been the case for our kids.<br /><br />There is, however, good news. Danielle McPeak gave a plea of "No Contest" on December 19th, 2011; a date just two days shy of a year from when Matt was murdered. Danielle has been convicted of First Degree Murder and will be sentenced on March 12th. First Degree Murder carries a sentence of 20 to life.<br /><br />You can read the story here: http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/302577Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8388538781809937191.post-62455808688713339132011-01-11T13:45:00.000-08:002011-01-12T14:54:35.002-08:00Blood Drive in Matt's HonorAt the Blacksburg Red Cross, in the building across from Backstreet's. <span style="color: rgb(204, 204, 204);">The event is on Saturday, 02/19 from 9-3.</span> *See update for new time/date*<br /><br />Schedule an appointment by calling 961-2302 (Tuesday and Thursday) or Toll-Free Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1-866-353-1030 option 3.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">UPDATE: TIME AND DATE CHANGE</span><br />The Blood Drive is now Saturday, 2/26/11, from 7:30am-1:30pm. Same location. Same phone numbers to schedule an appointment.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8388538781809937191.post-43758854814331105582011-01-09T07:58:00.001-08:002011-01-09T07:59:24.395-08:00A Thank You From the Kids' GrandmotherLast night, the kids' grandmother posted this heartfelt comment under one of our posts. I felt I should share.<br /><br /><blockquote>Thank you to everyone who has helped with our situation. We have been overwhelmed by the support and generosity we have received from everyone. We truly appreciate everything.<br /><br />We do not have access to our grandchildren's belongings from their mother's house, and probably won't. However, because of donations we now have clothes in the right size (including snow boots), sheets for their beds, and most funeral expenses. We will be building two rooms on the house for them each to have a room.<br /><br />The children are doing pretty good. They do not know anything other than their parents are far away and they are living with us. We are all seeing a counselor today.<br /><br />The mother is still in jail and I am positive she will remain so for a long time.<br /><br />Currently Matt's dad and I have custody. We have a final court date in March and I am sure we will retain custody.<br /><br />Again, thank you everyone for your support, no matter what form it has been, ie, financial, clothing, prayers, crying shoulders, etc. We thank each one of you from our entire hearts. <blockquote></blockquote></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8388538781809937191.post-58400110126894909852011-01-06T20:54:00.000-08:002011-01-06T21:03:28.707-08:00The Kids' Mother Officially Denied BondThe children's mother Danielle, who has been in jail for Matt's murder since about the 22nd of December, was denied bond today.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.wdbj7.com/news/wdbj-christiansburg-woman-to-remain-01062011,0,718695.story">Story on WDBJ 7</a><br /><br />Judge Long, who's the same judge who oversaw the custody battle between Matthew and Danielle, said the defense failed to provide enough reason to release Danielle.<br /><br />Rock on, Judge Long. Rock on.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8388538781809937191.post-5887548322943628462010-12-30T06:17:00.000-08:002010-12-30T06:18:47.982-08:00Funeral Today at Eleven AMMatt's funeral is today at eleven AM at the Horne Funeral Home. Interment will be immediately afterward at the Roselawn Cemetery. All are welcome to attend.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8388538781809937191.post-77466789883802976742010-12-29T12:36:00.000-08:002010-12-29T12:43:52.440-08:00$10,000 Recieved--And More!We reached a major landmark today, having topped <span style="font-weight: bold;">$10,000</span> sometime in the night.<br /><br />Today is Matthew's viewing. All friends and family are welcome to come pay their respects at the Horne funeral home at 5pm.<br /><br />There was also a wonderful piece on Matthew and this fundraiser in today's <a href="http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/272158">Roanoke Times.<span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8388538781809937191.post-88768938852997302122010-12-28T16:11:00.000-08:002010-12-28T17:10:51.847-08:00Status Update!Thanks to all of you, we've now raised<span style="font-weight: bold;"> $8,600</span> for the kids!<br /><br />We now also have a PO Box for the donation of physical goods and paper checks. Simply <a href="http://mcpeakkids.blogspot.com/p/physical-donations.html">click here</a> for all the details.<br /><br />You may also deposit directly into the children's account at any area National Bank, should you have any concerns about shipping or internet donations. Just tell them it's for the McPeak Kids.<br /><br />Thank you all!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8388538781809937191.post-41430081063326098882010-12-27T18:15:00.000-08:002010-12-27T18:16:01.233-08:00Video Interview With Matt's Parents <embed type='application/x-shockwave-flash' salign='l' flashvars='&titleAvailable=true&playerAvailable=true&searchAvailable=false&shareFlag=N&singleURL=http://wdbj7.vidcms.trb.com/alfresco/service/edge/content/6e3aebdf-e0c2-40a6-b589-b35aac850965&propName=wdbj7.com&hostURL=http://www.wdbj7.com&swfPath=http://wdbj7.vid.trb.com/player/&omAccount=tribschurzglobal&omnitureServer=sci.roanoke' allowscriptaccess='always' allowfullscreen='true' menu='true' name='PaperVideoTest' bgcolor='#ffffff' devicefont='false' wmode='transparent' scale='showall' loop='true' play='true' pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer' quality='high' src='http://wdbj7.vid.trb.com/player/PaperVideoTest.swf' align='middle' height='450' width='300'></embed>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8388538781809937191.post-49691786170701399502010-12-27T14:04:00.000-08:002010-12-27T14:07:55.806-08:00The Murderer ConfessesLadies and gentlemen, our <a href="http://www.wdbj7.com/news/wdbj-christiansburg-police-investig-122110,0,2706726.story">murderer has confessed</a>. He's directly implicated the children's mother, and further search warrants have turned up more evidence in the case.<br /><br />This is a ray of sunshine in the dark.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8388538781809937191.post-32130540751733797202010-12-26T10:26:00.000-08:002010-12-26T10:30:43.882-08:00Thank You, Shacknews!And everyone else, too! This donation drive took off far beyond my wildest dreams. <br /><br />Here's a little thank you from the kids<br /><br /><img src="http://i.imgur.com/9LFvIl.jpg" alt="" title="Hosted by imgur.com" /><br /><img src="http://i.imgur.com/zp4M7l.jpg" alt="" title="Hosted by imgur.com" /><br /><img src="http://i.imgur.com/57JLol.jpg" alt="" title="Hosted by imgur.com" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8388538781809937191.post-26225154465129549952010-12-25T10:40:00.000-08:002010-12-25T10:46:32.100-08:00Merry Christmas!Merry Christmas to one and all!<br /><br />The kids are doing great. They're helping grammi make Christmas dinner and presents have already been opened, fought over, and discarded in favor a chair cushion, of all things.<br /><br />Thanks to the generosity of people like you, this blog has raised <span style="font-weight:bold;">over $7,000</span> for Eion and Abbi. <br /><br />What's more, I've had many offers from those who want to send physical goods like clothing, toys, and games. Rest assured, I am listening. First thing Monday I will open a PO Box for the children, and post their clothing sizes at that time.<br /><br />I'm overwhelmed by the response and generosity shown by total strangers. My wildest dreams have been shattered.<br /><br />Thank You and God Bless,<br />Eric RiddleUnknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8388538781809937191.post-54863014095763002482010-12-24T18:12:00.000-08:002010-12-25T20:02:28.576-08:00Shacknews Is The BestThe world is an amazing place. At 6:30pm eastern, I posted this link on the videogame website <a href="http://www.shacknews.com">Shacknews</a>. In an hour and a half, they have raised nearly <span style="font-weight:bold;">two thousand dollars</span> for the kids!<br /><br />Their generous support has brought this family to the first tears of joy since Matthew's murder.<br /><br />Thank you, Shacknews. Your support means more than you know.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">UPDATE:</span> As of 10:45pm eastern, we have raised just shy of $5,000 for these children, with the vast majority of that coming from the geeks at Shacknews. I truly, truly have no words.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8388538781809937191.post-25355568467627261772010-12-24T07:02:00.000-08:002010-12-25T20:01:41.240-08:00Donate to McPeak's Kids!The kids are in desperate need of your help! Your generous donations will go towards food, clothing, and other necessities for these two beautiful children who have been through so much.<br /><br />Click the link on the right side of the page to donate any amount you choose, and thank you for your generous donations! <br /><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs320.snc4/41360_152032684822594_100000475899029_409588_7442669_n.jpg" height="200">Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8388538781809937191.post-58557000503919163782010-12-24T06:28:00.000-08:002010-12-25T20:02:08.815-08:00A Sad HolidayOn December 21st, 2010, James "Matthew" McPeak was found murdered in his home by his father, Tracy. <a href="http://www2.wsls.com/news/2010/dec/23/6/new-information-christiansburg-murder-investigatio-ar-733758/">Police arrested his estranged wife, Danielle, and her boyfriend for the murder.</a><br /><br />Matthew had two small children, ages three and four. Effectively orphans, these two young children have been taken in by their grandparents Tracy and Regina McPeak.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0