By Lauren Young
Staff Writer
A vigil for the victims of the Chili’s double homicide early Saturday morning in DeWitt was held on Sunday, Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. in front of the restaurant — attended by over 200 family, friends, coworkers and other community members to honor the lives of Stephen Gudknecht and Kristopher Hicks.
Gudknecht, a Chili’s manager, and Hicks, a Chili’s employee, were killed near the end of their closing shift last Saturday morning by suspect and ex-employee William D. Wood Jr., 32, of Syracuse, now in custody as of Sunday morning after police arrested him in Fulton. He has been charged with two counts of Murder in the First Degree and one count of Robbery in the first degree, and is currently being held in the Onondaga County Justice Center. His first court appearance date is set for Friday, Sept. 21.
Gudknecht’s brother Chris Chappell shared a few words about Steve during the ceremony, first thanking the crowd for their “love and support.”
“My brother was my idol,” he said. “He was the role model for the father that I want to be…He became one of the best men I’ve ever met in my entire life.”
But this tragedy, he said, should not be representative of the lives they carried.
“It still doesn’t feel real. But this tragedy is not how we’re going to remember Kris and Steve,” said Chappell. “Anyone at Chili’s has countless memories of the both of them…that’s what we need to remember — that’s the person they want to be remembered by.”
Two pastors from the DeWitt Community Church also spoke in remembrance of the victims and offered prayers to the community, and members of the DeWitt Community Church helped hand out and light candles to honor the lost lives.
“Tonight as we gather, we understand this is a time of tears, a time of sadness,” said Alan Rudnick, pastor at the DeWitt Community Church. Rudnick said Chili’s staff reached out to the church, which is across the street, to “provide a time of remembrance” for grieving loved ones.
“This will always be a sacred place, because it’s a place of memory — it’s a place where people share their stories and come together. And as we remember Steve and Kris tonight, we will always remember this as a sacred place.”
The candle-lighting ceremony, he said, is “symbolic of the perpetual light of hope.”
“[It’s] to remind us that…there are dark days here, and the days ahead, the light will always shine; and that’s a reminder for us this evening,” said Rudnick.
“God of all creation, we stand here tonight. We don’t know what to say — we’re confused, we’re saddened, we’re heart-struck,” said Pastor Mark Sommers of the DeWitt Community Church who gave a prayer to the crowd. “Two friends, brothers have been taken from us violently. We don’t know what to do, but we ask that you bring healing to our hearts.”
Two GoFundMe pages have been created for the victims: one created by Bryan Ruff, Gudknecht’s cousin and Bill Haddad Jr., general manager of the Uno’s Pizzeria in Fayetteville.
According to Ruff, Gudknecht was managing the late shift around 1 a.m. at Chili’s when an ex-employee entered through the back door of the building with a gun and robbed the restaurant. Gudknect and Hicks were “gunned down in cold blood,” he said.
Also according to the page, Chili’s has offered to pay for the funeral services.
“We are absolutely grateful to the company for all they have done so far,” said Ruff.
