Fifteen years ago last week, Mia Zapata, the lead singer of promising Seattle band The Gits, was at the top of her game. Her band was being noticed by more than just friends, they had toured Europe on their own ambition, and they had what seemed like a long career ahead of them. Those dreams were dashed in minutes when Mia was brutally raped and murdered by a stranger while walking home from a night out with friends.
Her murder remained unsolved for many years, and was even featured on shows like Unsolved Mysteries and 48 Hours, with little result. Desperate for answers, her band mates and friends raised money for their own private investigator to keep the case alive, and created a non-profit organization, Home Alive, which provides self-defense classes and education to this day.
As the years went by and it seemed hope was fading more each passing year, a sudden break came in 2003 when DNA analysis technology had progressed enough to allow cold case investigators to match DNA left on Mia's body to Jesus Mezquia, a man with a history of violence towards women who lived three blocks away from the murder scene at the time. Mezquia was convicted the following year and is currently serving out a thirty-six year sentence in Washington state.
Last week, in honor of the fifteenth anniversary of Mia's murder, a feature documentary film, The Gits was released. Documenting the rise and tragic end of this legendary Seattle band, The Gits has already won many awards and screenings are taking place across the country this summer and fall. Venus Zine has a heartbreaking interview with The Gits' drummer Steve Moriarty, wherein he expresses that finally, fifteen years later, he can move on - here's hoping all of Mia's friends and family find some closure.
No comments:
Post a Comment