NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) —With candles and sage in hand, loved ones of Julia Dardar gathered in front of the Ninth Ward home where she spent the last moments of her life.
“There’s no way to make it better, but all of the support has really helped us to get through it all,” said Micah Dardar, Julia’s husband.
Julia was reported missing at the end of December. Last week, police found the dismembered remains of a woman inside of a freezer on a property on Pauline Street. Wednesday, the Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office confirmed the remains were Julia’s and that she was beaten and strangled before she was dismembered.
“Reality of the whole scenario set in since I got the confirmation and the call. I had a couple of breakdowns today and last night,” said Dardar.
Police arrested and charged the man Julia was living with, 34-year-old Benjamin Beale, with her murder. Following her horrifying death, those who knew Dardar wanted to remember her life and cleanse the area of bad energy with a spiritual vigil.
“It was just a combination of different religions and people coming together,” said Dardar.
Attendees prayed for Julia and her family. At one point, the group walked back to the bus where Julia’s remains were found, using sage to cleanse the area.
“It’s definitely tough to come here and see it after everything that’s happened, but all of these people here have made me feel quite a bit better about it,” said Dardar.
Despite her horrific death, the love for Julia was evident at the vigil. Though her family will forever have a hole in their hearts, the support their getting from the community is helping them heal.
“There is darkness in the world, but there’s light too and we got to focus on the positive and try to keep moving forward,” said Dardar.
Julia leaves behind her husband and two teenage daughters.
Benjamin Beale remains behind bars, his bond is set at $1.4 million.