I dated Jon Drew in high school and again for a brief period after high school. I adored his family and was both shocked and not shocked when I learned of everything the night his arrest in the Tina Flood case was all over the news. My last encounter with him had happened a couple of years prior when for the first time I saw a violent side of him. I managed to get away from him with nothing more than a couple of broken fingers. I remember feeling terrified of him that night. I don’t know how far he would have taken it had I not gotten away from him. I did go to the ER because I originally thought my whole hand was broken. I did give his name at the ER and told them I declined to press charges. I was still in shock over what happened and thought at the time this may have been an isolated incident because I had never seen that side of him in all the years we dated off and on. Of course I wonder all the time if I had pressed charges, it possibly could have prevented him from harming anyone else. I attended parts of trial because I was and still am to a degree, haunted by the mere thought of him. One of the days I attended his trial, I happen to be looking at him, when he all of a sudden decided to look back as though he was just checking the scene. Our eyes locked for about 5 long seconds and he just shook his head as he looked down and placed is face in the palms of his hands...almost shamefully. I’ll never forget the various emotions I felt all at once!
I always liked his family and although I haven’t communicated with them since before his trial, I have thought about them over the years. I learned of his passing this morning ironically enough. No matter what your opinion is of Jon Drew...he was still a son and a brother that has essentially suffered from losing him to incarceration and now through death and my heart goes out to them for that.
As for Tina Flood’s family...I will not even begin to say I can imagine. There is nothing that will ever make it quite right. But somehow I pray you have found some level of sanity and peace throughout the years and with the news of his passing.