Zarra Strickland

Zarra Vanlin Laws-Strickland was born October 3, 1986, in Champaign, Illinois, and grew up in the Danville area. Those who knew her remembered a young woman who loved her family, shared a ready smile, and took part in community and church life. She attended Danville High School, where she ran track and played basketball, and she remained connected to her faith community—having been baptized and participating in church music and youth programs.

Zarra was a hard worker who held a variety of jobs over the years. More than any title, she was a mother: she is publicly listed as the mother of several young children who survived her, and family notices and the local funeral home arranged a celebration of her life in mid‑August 2015. Her obituary and funeral notices emphasize how important family and community were to her life, noting many relatives and friends who supported one another in grief.

Her passing on August 4, 2015, at age 28, was met with shock and sorrow in Danville. While public records and later court filings confirm the circumstances of her death and the criminal proceedings that followed, Zarra’s remembrance in the community focused on her role as a daughter, a wife by name in funeral notices, and above all a mother whose life mattered deeply to those who loved her.

In remembering Zarra, friends and family recalled a young woman with a warm presence, ties to local churches and organizations, and a commitment to her children. The details available in public notices and local coverage make clear she was surrounded by an extended family—parents, siblings, children, and many relatives—who gathered to honor her life at services in Danville. Though her life was cut short, the records that remain—funeral notices, local news accounts, and court documents—testify to a person whose relationships and everyday presence left a lasting mark on her community.