Student Cary had her whole life ahead of her. Then gun violence put a stop to the case.

With less than a month until Christmas, Andrea Petifer can’t stop thinking about the one present in her bedroom that will remain unopened.

Instead of being worn by Petifer’s niece on Christmas morning, the new pajamas will stay in her box. Her niece, 19-year-old Aminah Guy, was killed last week in a suspected double murder-suicide in Cary, ending a life that had barely begun.

“I have never felt so broken in my life,” Petifer said Friday, her voice breaking. “I’ve never felt pain like this.”

To hear about Aminah Guy is to hear about a girl who passionately chased her dreams, creating handwritten “goal lists” each semester to share with loved ones. She was a talented athlete who loved mentoring children at the Hillsborough Street YMCA where she worked and spent so much time with her three cousins ​​that she called them her sisters.

“She made an impact on everyone she met, and that impact was beautiful, beautiful, funny, full of joy and life,” Petifer said.

“The World Was Hers”

Her aunt said that before her life was cut short on November 18, the world was an oyster to Aminah Guy. Originally from Santa Monica, California, she moved with her mother and twin sister to North Carolina before entering the sixth grade, where she eventually became close enough to regularly visit Petifer’s cousins ​​in Durham, which she loved.

Her aunt and cousin said the five cousins, known as the “Five As” because their names begin with the same letter, spent every vacation together and explored the Triangle during summer breaks at “Camp Petifer” spent at Petifer’s home. When The Guys moved to Raleigh three years later, it seemed like their dream had come true.

After graduating from Athens Drive High School, where she participated in volleyball, track, basketball and student government, Guy enrolled at NC Central University. It was the right next step: Her cousin, sister Alana Petifer, went there, and Andrea Petifer, her husband and two other family members were also Eagles.

“I said in her obituary that she lived the NCCU motto even before she got there: truth and service,” Andrea Petifer said. “So it was natural for her to go there.”

Guy initially specialized in information technology, but switched to business in the hope that she would be able to professionally pursue her passion – designing invitations, logos and leaflets for family members and friends. Her graphic design skills were as impressive as her love of learning in general, her aunt said.

“She read widely, learned widely, discovered widely,” said Andrea Petifer. “The world was hers.”

Shortly after starting college, Guy met another freshman, Xavier Holton, who lived in the same dorm. They quickly liked each other and started dating. Alana Petifer only met her cousin’s boyfriend a few times, but she said everything was fine.

This ended on November 8. Guy took the semester off to regroup and instead worked full-time at the YMCA, but Holton was still an active student at NCCU when he crashed into a parked car going 100 miles per hour on Interstate 440 East just before 8 a.m. . in the morning Both cars burst into flames, and court records show Holton was cited for reckless driving, speeding and failure to maintain lane control.

According to the Petifers, the crash was a suicide attempt and this was the first time they had heard about Holton’s alleged mental problems. Police are not commenting on the accident that occurred on November 8, and The News & Observer was unable to contact Holton’s immediate family.

“He never showed any threatening or controlling behavior,” Andrea Petifer said. “However, after he attempted suicide in a car accident, (Guy) started saying that she noticed he was acting strange.”

Ten days later, Cary police were called to Holton’s home on Smokemont Drive, where they found Guy, Holton and Erica Holton, his mother, inside, all fatally shot.

Police have not said who they believe was the shooter, citing a pending autopsy report, but court records indicate Holton was likely responsible. According to the search warrant, a loaded firearm was found in the sink next to Holton’s body on a different floor than his mother’s and Guy’s.

The loss shattered Guy’s close-knit family. To make matters worse, Andrea Petifer said she couldn’t escape the photos on the local news of Guy and Holton together.

“My niece is a victim and of all the photos that journalists had in their hands, they chose this one,” she said. “Every time I saw it, I thought of Zora Neale Hurston’s quote: ‘They’ll kill you and tell you you liked it.’ That’s what came to my mind.”

Reducing Guy’s life to her final moments is an insult, Petifer said. She would rather people knew about the craters left by Guy, about her mother, twin sister, cousins ​​and friends who will always mourn her.

“When I look at my niece, I see a teenager on the threshold of womanhood, who is just taking her first steps towards becoming, and now she can no longer become woman,” Petifer said. “That’s what’s hard for me.”

AND Gofundme As of Friday evening, $17,800 had been collected in an account intended to help pay for Guy’s funeral costs.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 for 24-hour support in English and Spanish.