MIDDLEBURG, Fla. – For the second day in a row, hundreds of mourners gathered in Clay County to say farewell to one of the victims in last week's triple murder domestic rampage in Green Cove Springs.
The funeral for Erica Green was held Tuesday at the First Baptist Church of Middleburg.
Green's ex-husband, Murray Lancaster, killed her, his ex-girlfriend, Valorie Short, and Short's father, Buddy Short, before taking his own life last Tuesday. Both women left behind two children.
"Everyone's taking it pretty rough. (It's) a rough ordeal for the family," Shawn Morris said. "Obviously, for the community, we're a tight-knit community."
Hundreds of friends, family and community members gathered Monday for the funerals of Valorie Short and Buddy Short at the First Black Creek Baptist Church in Green Cove Springs. Those in attendance ranged from friends who attended high school with Valorie Short to people who had known Buddy Short for decades to those who felt a sense of communal grief from last week's tragic events.
Attendance at Green's funeral on Tuesday was just as overwhelming as the community gathered once again to mourn.
Green Cove Springs Mayor Van Royal, who was at the funeral, said that just because the services are over does not mean that the town's shared grief ends.
"They’ve all been packed; it’s a small town," Royal said. "These people, many of them worked together. This is not something that three days from now the news isn’t going to change. We’re going to see these people for breakfast, lunch and dinner."
Many community members echoed Royal's words, saying they want to continue to support the families affected by the horrific losses.
"It’s a tragedy for everyone that knew her, for the community, for everyone involved," Daniel Eshelman said. "This is for the family and friends and everyone involved in these types of situations."
Investigators are still working to determine what sparked Lancaster's killing spree.