As Marie Works tried to help her fatally wounded daughter Stephanie at New Life Church on Dec. 9, she realized the 18-year-old was dead but felt calmness amid the tragedy.
“I knew she was in heaven. I knew she was dead. I wasn’t sad at that point because I knew she was in a good place,” Marie Works told ABC’s Dan Harris in an interview that aired today on “Good Morning America.”
The killer of Stephanie and Stephanie’s younger sister, Rachel, 16, was Matthew Murray, who opened fire on the family as they prepared to leave the Colorado Springs church in their minivan after Sunday services.
Works said that she harbors no ill-will toward Murray, 24, who later killed himself after being shot by a member of the church.
“I have no reason to hate the guy,” she said. Works said that it might have been tougher to forgive had she not known that Stephanie and Rachel were devout Christians and were going to heaven.
During the interview, Works and her husband, David, who was wounded in the shooting, described the harrowing moments after Murray opened fire and what they did to help their daughters.
“I believe I heard a pop. I looked over my shoulder and saw a guy in black with an assault rifle,” said David Works, 51, who was shot twice.
“He turned and pointed it at us. And I think there was another pop, and then I screamed at everybody to get down, that there’s a shooter out there.”
David Works said that he saw Rachel and tried to reach her.
“She fell back onto the pavement. I saw him again point the gun and felt my belly rip, and fell to the pavement, not having gotten to Rachel all the way.”
Marie Works was able to get to Stephanie, who was bleeding profusely, and saw that her daughter had been shot in the head. She could find no pulse on Stephanie, who had recently returned from a trip to China with five other students from Liberty High School in Colorado Springs.
Laurie Works — Rachel’s twin sister — described how she and Rachel would kid around.
They once horsed around for at least 20 minutes with a “me too” and a “me one” routine that Laurie described as “ridiculous.”
The couple said that Stephanie loved to dance during church services.
“It was reckless abandon,” said Marie Works. “She didn’t worry about getting off balance. She wasn’t exactly the most graceful dancer. But it didn’t matter.”
David Works said he could not have had two nicer daughters.
“They were the best. I wish I could take credit for it. But I’m not that good,” he said. “I just let them be who they were and who God created them to be.”
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
