The fiancé of a 22-year-old woman who was gunned down at a Joliet Township Halloween party is speaking out, saying that his whole life has been turned upside down by the loss of the woman who had profoundly “changed” him during their relationship.
Adam Gregurich, whose fiancé Holly Mathews was one of two people killed in the shooting that occurred early in the morning of Halloween, spoke glowingly about her as the investigation into her death continues.
“She just changed me,” he said. “I had so many people tell me that they were happy that I met her, because she brought out who I truly was.”
Gregurich proposed to Mathews just two weeks ago in Utah, but now instead of planning a wedding, he is having to prepare for her funeral after two men opened fire at a house party that attracted nearly 200 people.
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“You want to shoot an innocent girl in the back? You are a coward,” he said. “At home, at work, here, no matter where I go, nothing will ever be the same.”
Mathews and 22-year-old Jonathan Ceballos were both shot to death at the party, with several others wounded in the gunfire.
According to her family, Mathews had gone out with a friend on Oct. 30 to a party in Frankfort. After leaving that party, the friend suggested that they stop by the Joliet Township party. They were there for only 10 minutes before deciding to leave.
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“They felt a bad vibe, and were there for only 10 minutes,” Mathews’ mother Sharyl said.
Before the pair could leave, two men, standing on a porch, opened fire, striking several people in the crowd, including Mathews. She was struck in the ribs, and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Her death has devastated her family and friends, who are striving to come to grips with the reality that the college senior, who was dreaming of becoming an arborist and was busy choosing bridesmaids for her wedding, is now gone.
“I walk around the house and I see things, her boots, and her clothes,” her mother said. “It’s like, ‘what do I do now? How do I go on? How do I go on without her?’ I just don’t know.”
The Will County Sheriff’s Office says it has interviewed dozens of people, but says that there are many who are refusing to cooperate with the investigation.
Private detective Michael Colella, who has offered a reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in the killing, says that someone knows exactly who was responsible, and needs to come forward.
“There is without question in my mind videos, photographs and information of who these individuals are,” he said. “It’s just the lack of people wanting to come forward.”
Colella says that he’s willing to serve as a go-between, and will keep the identity of any informant confidential if it means taking steps towards finding out who was responsible for killing Mathews and Ceballos.
In the meantime, Gregurich says that he’s trying to take things day by day, but that the killers have destroyed the lives of many who loved Mathews dearly.
“You don’t know whose life you’re gonna ruin, and they didn’t just ruin her life. They ruined all our lives,” he said.
