NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — 50 years ago, it was a crime that shook Nashville—the murder of Marcia Trimble, a 9-year-old girl who was out delivering Girl Scout cookies.
We came to know that young girl's mother over the many years that it took for Marcia's killer to be finally captured and convicted.
Early Tuesday morning, Virginia Trimble Ritter passed away.
Many will remember Virginia as the mother who never gave up hope that her daughter's killer would be found.
On February 25, 1975, Marcia was delivering Girl Scout cookies in her Green Hills neighborhood when she vanished. Someone had sexually assaulted and murdered the young girl.
We spoke with Trimble Ritter over the years about the crime and how it changed Nashville.
She told NewsChannel 5 in 2015, "I expect her case to be solved any day."
Back in 2007, when we spoke with Trimble Ritter, she said, "I want to know who killed her and I want to know why."
Before that, in 2000, Trimble Ritter shared, "Every day she's in my heart and in my mind."
"We knew no pain in our neighborhood until that day. Nobody would think of a child being murdered."
She desperately wanted answers and her daughter's killer to be caught.
And as she waited, she often comforted other families going through similar situations, like in 2003, with Tabitha Tuders' family.
Finally, more than 30 years after Marcia disappeared, thanks to DNA evidence, Metro Police arrested Jerome Barrett, a man detectives believed had raped and murdered a Vanderbilt student and raped a Belmont student in the weeks just before Marcia Trimble was killed.
Virginia stayed strong throughout the trial, admitted that at one point, it was just too much, and described moments in court when Marcia's clothing she was last seen in was shown in court.
"The blouse, it was just when I saw her blouse. I had not ever seen — it had been 34 years since I saw it, and it was like she ought to be standing there in it," Trimble Ritter said.
The jury found Barrett guilty. He was sentenced to 44 years in prison.
And after he was convicted, she said that she had forgiven him.
Trimble Ritter waited more than 30 years for justice and closure, and, in the end, she got both.
Her family said she was "the sweetest woman alive and held close to her faith in Jesus." In a statement, they said, "Virginia was a radiant light in our lives, illuminating the world with her kindness and compassion, and her absence makes it feel a little dimmer."
They also told NewsChannel 5 that she could not wait to see her daughter again.
She will be buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Nashville, right next to Marcia.
Full statement of Virginia Trimble Ritter's family:
The family of Virginia Trimble Ritter extends their heartfelt gratitude to everyone for their thoughts, prayers, and support during this challenging time. Virginia was a radiant light in our lives, illuminating the world with her kindness and compassion, and her absence makes it feel a little dimmer.
As we navigate the days ahead, we kindly ask for your continued prayers for our family. We are in the process of making arrangements and will share further details as they become available. Thank you once again for your love and support.
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