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Hillsborough County unveils online tool with victims' resources

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Published  April 7, 2025 4:51pm EDT
Hillsborough County
FOX 13 News

State Attorney's Office unveils online victim toolkit

Evan Axelbank reports.

The Brief

    • Hillsborough County unveiled an online tool with victims' resources to help them navigate the court process during the most difficult time of their lives.
    • Often, people who ask for victim's assistance are those who have lost a family member to homicide, or victims of domestic violence.
    • There is a victims' resource fair on Wednesday, April 9, at the University of Tampa.

TAMPA - Victims of violent crime have a new place to turn to for help.

The Hillsborough County state attorney's office is unveiling an online toolkit to help victims navigate the court process during the most difficult time of their lives.

Sparkle Negron can hardly count the number of times she has had to gather strength to walk into court.

"The person that did this to my son, that took my son's life," she said, "I have to walk past him, and I have to walk through his crowds of family."

The backstory:

Her son, Justin Burks, was killed in 2022 at a bar on Howard Ave. after a barfight spun out of control.

Courtesy: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

MacDill airman, Jarred White, the shooter, is claiming self-defense.

Sparkle was in court today for a bond hearing, the latest event her victim advocate has prepared her for.

"It's been everything from navigating the court system to drying my tears to lending that extra voice of comfort when I needed it throughout this process," said Negron.

The State Attorney's Office hopes the online toolkit will make services more accessible.

Hillsborough County unveils online tool with victims' resources.

They help with the court process, therapy appointments, emergency housing and burial reimbursements.

"There is no time that is not raw," State Attorney Suzy Lopez said of crime victims. "And we're here to help them navigate the system, the legal process. This is a road that they've never been down, or they never ever thought that they would go down."

Lopez says most often, people who ask for victim's assistance are those who have lost a family member to homicide, or victims of domestic violence.

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The website is laid out with menus, frequently asked questions and beelines to groups who make it their duty to help.

"Our community has a plethora of resources, and we want to share those resources with them," said Lopez.

For all Sparkle Negron has been through over the last three years, there is still a lot more to go.

Despite being at more than two dozen court appearances for Jarred White, the trial is still a month away.

"My advice would be, don't do it alone," Negron said. "Utilize the resources that are available to you and recognize that we were not ever intended to do life alone."

There is a victims' resource fair on Wednesday, April 9, at the University of Tampa.

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The Source: Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Evan Axelbank.

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