Marvin Charles Prater Memorial Biography

MARVIN CHARLES PRATER, AGE 33.
OCTOBER 13, 1967--MURDERED 10/21/00

I WOULD LIKE TO BRIEFLY DESCRIBE HOW MY BROTHER BECAME A VICTIM, HOWEVER I DO NOT WANT HIS BIOGRAPHY CENTERED ON THE ATTACK, I WANT TO BE ABLE TO DESCRIBE THE MAN THAT WE KNEW AND LOVED IN LIFE, THE REAL PERSON, NOT THE STATISTIC.

On the night of October 21, 2000, as my brother was searching for his girlfriend, he came across four people, whom he had mistaken for friends, they told him that they would aid him in his search. Charlie had no reason not to believe them, he got in their car, along with the two boys and the two girls. They drove him to a remote country cemetery, when Charlie realized that all was not right, it was too late, there was nothing that he could do, his fate was sealed. One began to beat him in the back of the head with an aluminum baseball bat, then he was robbed and left to die. As they drove away, they looked back and he was trying to stand, trying desperately to save his own life that he so desperately wanted to live. Instead of getting him the help that he so urgently needed, they partied all that weekend; while he laid, suffered and finally died. The incident took place on a Saturday night, one Sunday night, one or more of them returned to check on him, he was moved to an adjacent wooded area and covered with limbs and leaves. On Monday night, supposedly only two returned. He was wrapped in plastic, loaded into the back of a truck and drove to a remote ridge, where he was buried face-down in a shallow grave. We can only hope that he was already gone when he was buried, but we may never know.

At an early age, Marvin decided his name from then on would be "Charlie". If someone made the mistake of calling him Marvin, he would quickly correct them saying, "my name is Charlie". He was a beautiful little boy, who grew into a very handsome man. Standing 5'10'', long blond hair and blue eyes -- he was truly gorgeous. Not only on the outside, but on the inside as well. He had a smile that would brighten your darkest day, smiling with his whole face, he was genuine. Although Charlie faced many tragedies in his short life, he held his head high. Always one you could count on in times of trouble, constantly there with a helping hand.

Charlie and Andy

Charlie and Summer

Charlie was the father to two beautiful children, one boy, Charles Andrew. One girl, Summer Dawn, who is a paraplegic and has cerebral palsy. Many would see Summer as an added burden, Charlie only seen her as his angel from Heaven, a privilege that he was lucky enough to have in his life, daddy's little girl. He was a very devoted father, his world revolving around his children, they were the center of his universe. He will never see them grow into adulthood, never see them graduate or wed, never give them the loving advice of a father and most of all, never give them one last hug and kiss from Daddy. They as well as he, are truly missing out on a love of a lifetime.

Having Charlie as a brother is indescribable. Many brothers and sisters argue, but he never said one wrong thing to me. I can still remember the last embrace, he hugged me and said, " I love you, sis". That is one thing that can't be taken away from me, the memory of a loving brother. If I had known that night, that I would never see him again, there would have been so much more that I would have said. I loved him with all my heart and I always will.

Charlie believed that there was no one on this earth that compared to our mother, he thought that she could do all things. If he needed help, she was the first that he would call, feeling sure that she could make everything all better. It is truly a shame that he could not have called on her that one last time.

So many things can be said about Charlie, it would take a book to truly describe as he was in life. He was gentle, caring and tenderhearted. He wasn't afraid to show his emotions, to let you know how much he cared. Charlie would go to the ends of the earth for those he cared about, never asking for anything in return. The good deeds he performed are too numerous to count, the friends that he helped out in times of need were many. Countless people called him friend, feeling privileged for having had them in their lives. He is deeply missed and will never be forgotten.

CHARLIE PRATER, DEEPLY LOVED,
SADLY MISSED AND FONDLY REMEMBERED.

inscription on his headstone.

In Loving Memory of Charlie Prater
October 13, 1967 --- MURDERED October 21, 2000

The Undefended Victim

For me, no gavel, hammers
The scales were never weighted.
My crime was that of a victim,
My life, was the price paid.

And when my life was cruelly taken,
Why weren’t my rights read?
And the statement "overruled"
When they pronounced me dead?

I’ll never hear my rights
Nor take the witness stand,
No attorney to defend me,
My fate was in killers’ hand.

Now the courtroom’s crowded
As the defendant pleads the case.
With just the glimmer of a tear,
Cold eyes on a straight face.

But oh, that I could take the stand
If they could witness my last breath,
Could they live with the terror
That I went through in death.

If they could hear my pleading cries
And see the anger in his face,
At last we’d know the scales had
“Been balanced” in this case.

If I could, I’d tell the jury
Exactly how it was,
The fear and pain that I went through
Life ended without a cause.

Did the jury carefully weigh it all
As they listened to the plea?
There are emotions, showing now,
Just the hope of going free.

The final verdict now is in
As the defendant stands in tears
If only I had done as well . . .
Given ten to twenty years.

--author unknown--

Submitted by Melissa Buchanan