Nearly half a year after a tragedy that shook South Florida, family members and the community gathered for a vigil to honor Melody Alana Rose Duran. The two-year-old was murdered in May by her own father, Jerónimo A. Durán, originally from Cuba. The vigil took place at Hollywood North Beach Park in Broward on Saturday, the day Melody would have turned three.
Melody's mother, Mona Clarke, attended alongside family and friends to celebrate her daughter's life. "It's been incredibly hard without her. My daughter was my world. She was sweet, vibrant, and loving," Clarke shared with NBC6 News.
Jerónimo A. Durán, 33, faces charges of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse for the horrific act that ended Melody's life on May 28 in Pembroke Pines, Broward County. That morning, Pembroke Pines police and firefighters responded to a "domestic incident" at a residence on Southwest 177th Avenue.
Paramedics and officers found Melody with a neck wound and provided immediate medical assistance. Despite rushing her to Memorial Regional Hospital, she could not be saved. A police report described finding a knife on the kitchen floor, stained with blood on its handle and blade.
Disturbing Scenes Unfold
Durán's grandmother entered the home to find him over Melody, shouting, "Get off her, what are you doing?!" She urgently called 911, exclaiming in Spanish, "The girl was here, and now she's unconscious, she's pale." She pleaded, "The girl is pale, please help. I just arrived, miss, send an ambulance, I need something fast. The girl is unconscious."
In March 2023, Melody's mother had moved out of the home she shared with Durán amidst a custody dispute. She alleged he was "erratic, aggressive, violent, and dangerous" to both her and Melody. Court documents revealed Durán suffered from mental illness, including paranoia and anger issues.
Legal System Under Scrutiny
The custody battle concluded in March when a judge granted shared parental responsibility, believing it was in the child's best interest. This decision allowed Durán unsupervised visits with Melody. On the tragic Tuesday, he picked her up and took her to the home he shared with his grandmother, where the fatal incident occurred.
Representatives from Families Against Court Travesties, an organization supporting families affected by perceived injustices in family court systems, attended the vigil. Maysel Bickham, a spokesperson for the group, told NBC6 News that Melody's mother is "devastated, the system failed her and her daughter, and it's unfortunate; she was trying to work with the system to ensure her daughter's safety."
Clarke expressed her disappointment with the legal system, stating, "I feel angry about this. Things could have been handled differently," she warned.