Friends remember victim one year after murder

HOUSTON The body of /*DeJesus*/ was found last March, but she went missing on February 2, so Tuesday marked a year of heartache for her friends and family.

A year later, the wounds are still wide open for DeJesus' friends and family.

"This is her, this is my friend, this is Susana," said friend Rene Munoz.

The 37-year-old disappeared while leaving work at a Pearland clothing shop. In the days following, those closest to her held out hope she was alive.

"A lot of volunteers, the community got together and started searching for her and every day there was hope we could find her," said Munoz.

Weeks of searching by volunteers and law enforcement led to the discovery of her body in a semi-trailer parked near Reliant Stadium.

Two men have been charged in the case. Nicholas Michael Jean is charged with capital murder, accused of forcing DeJesus into her car then kidnapping and shooting her. Wallace Charles Ledet, the accused accomplice, is charged with aggravated kidnapping.

Not a day goes by without friends and family reliving the pain of the past year and the memories of the Susana they dearly miss.

"We want to remember her as the beautiful person she was. The strong person, lively person you would see. When you would see her, she would hug you and brought the best out of everyone," said Munoz.

But this one year anniversary of the kidnapping is particularly painful.

"We hope the community does not forget about her," said Munoz.

For a family waiting for justice, the trial for the men charged in the DeJesus case is scheduled to begin in April in Brazoria County.