Candlelight victims’ vigil to be held in Palm Desert

Two candlelight vigils will be held next month in Riverside County to honor the memories of those whose lives were taken in acts of violence.

The week of April 7-13 is National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, recognized annually in special ceremonies hosted by the county District Attorney’s Office.

Two public memorials — both beginning at 7 p.m. — are planned, the first of which will be held on April 10 in the amphitheater of the Palm Desert Civic Center, 43-900 San Pablo Ave.

D.A.’s Victims’ Services Supervisor Patty Cardenas is slated to speak, detailing the circumstances and aftermath of her 20-year-old brother Alex Cardenas’ slaying by gang members in Orange County in 1992.

The final vigil will be held on April 11, beginning with a brief ceremony outside the Riverside Historic Courthouse, 4050 Main St., from which attendees will walk and gather at the Victims’ Memorial Courtyard, adjacent to the D.A.’s headquarters at 3960 Orange St.

Anaheim firefighter Rick Cheatham and his wife, Kelly, will be the featured speakers, discussing the repercussions of losing their 23-year-old son, Michael Cheatham, in December 2013.

The victim was severely beaten and then strangled in his Corona apartment by Francisco Humberto Real, who went to the residence to collect a drug debt from Cheatham.

District Attorney Mike Hestrin and members of his staff will attend both gatherings.

Information regarding the services can be found at http://rivcoda.org/.