Valley paralegal remembers serial murder victims

Two of the victims in the serial murders that began on May 31 worked in a family law firm that represented the killer's ex-wife.

On Monday, days after 48-year-old Veleria Sharp and 49-year-old Laura Anderson's murder, they are being remembered for their hard work and dedication, to a legal field where families are often dealing with heated emotions and turmoil.

While Anderson and Sharp's murders are not a common occurrence, and their job is typically safe, this recent tragedy has some on high alert.

"I'm sure that it's going to be haunting for them for a while," said Vanessa Yazzie. The law office where Sharp and Anderson were shot and killed Friday was closed Monday morning, with no telling on when it will open its doors again. Both Sharp and Anderson women worked there as paralegals.

"It would really be like losing a family member," said Yazzie. "So, you know, I don't know how you recover from that for the manner in which it happened."

Yazzie is also a paralegal. Although she works in a different firm, she worked closely with the two victims, and spoke with Anderson not too long ago.

"The funny thing is that she was teasing me a little bit about just something we were working on," said Yazzie. "It was funny because she was sort of calling me out about something, in a very nice way of course."

Yazzie shared a special bond with Sharp, as both were from the Pacific Northwest.

"We discussed the challenges of trying to move to another state, and learn all of the rules and the laws and things like that," said Yazzie. "She and I immediately had a connection."

Yazzie decided to stay home for the day on Monday, and said the entire law community has spent the weekend on edge.

"I think all of us felt a real sense of concern for the attorneys that work in that office that weren't there on Friday," said Yazzie. "I think there was genuine concern about them."

Yazzie says the law community has rallied behind one another to provide some sort of comfort. Now that Jones is dead, Yazzie plans on going back to work on Tuesday.