On a tragic Sunday, December 9, 2007, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the life of 18-year-old Stephanie Works was cut short in an act of violence. Stephanie, a bright and outgoing young woman who had recently returned from a mission trip to China, was with her family in the parking lot of the New Life Church when a gunman opened fire. The shooter, identified as 24-year-old Matthew John Murray, targeted the Works family as they were getting into their car after the church service. Stephanie and her 16-year-old sister, Rachel, were both killed in the attack. Their father, David Works, was also shot multiple times and critically wounded.
The horrific event at the New Life Church was the second part of a deadly rampage carried out by Murray that day. Earlier, he had opened fire at the Youth With a Mission training center in Arvada, Colorado, where he killed two people and wounded two others. Investigations later revealed that Murray's actions were fueled by a deep-seated anti-Christian sentiment. He had been expelled from a missionary training program at the Arvada YWAM facility years earlier. In his car, authorities found a letter addressed 'To God' and books on serial murderers.
There were no arrests made in connection with the deaths of Stephanie and Rachel Works, as the sole suspect, Matthew John Murray, took his own life at the scene. Murray's attack inside the New Life Church was interrupted by Jeanne Assam, a volunteer security guard and former police officer, who confronted him and exchanged gunfire. Wounded by Assam, Murray then turned his gun on himself. In the face of immense tragedy, the Works family, including Stephanie's mother, Marie, and surviving sisters, Laurie and Gracie, have spoken publicly about their journey of grief and their choice to forgive the man who took so much from them.
