On a rainy evening in Kalispell’s Lawrence Park, more than 100 friends, family and community members gathered to remember Forrest Groshelle, the 2-year-old boy who was allegedly killed earlier this week by his mother’s boyfriend.
The emotional event, held Feb. 20, came two days after Brandon Lee Walter Newberry, 21, was arrested and charged with deliberate homicide.
The mother, Takara Juntunen, also 21, had been dating Newberry for less than three months when he allegedly assaulted the 2-year-old boy sometime between Feb. 11-17. The assault led to a perienteritis, a laceration of the small intestine. According to court documents and family members, the young boy was vomiting blood in the days before he died on Feb. 17.
During the memorial, family members remembered a precocious young boy who was full of energy.
“He was just a blast,” said Jeremy Juntunen, the boy’s grandfather. “He always had a smile on his face and he was just one of the happiest children I have ever known.”
Groshelle was born in 2012 with kidney problems and was sent to Seattle for treatment. Family members said the early days of Groshelle’s life were tense but he eventually grew stronger.
“It’s almost hard to wrap your head around this because he was a survivor,” said Amanda Saenz, a family friend. “For him to be taken like this is just sickening.”
When police arrived at the Evergreen home of Takara Juntunen and Newberry on the morning of Feb. 17, they found bruising, scratching and abrasions on Groshelle’s body. An autopsy revealed that the child had been hit multiple times in the abdomen.
In an interview with sheriff’s deputies, Takara Juntunen revealed that Newberry had been watching Groshelle on a daily basis while she was at work. She also said that her son had been vomiting since Feb. 12, suggesting that the assault may have occurred between Feb. 11 and Feb. 17, according to police. During an interview with police, Newberry admitted that he had been “roughhousing” with the child the previous day.
But family members, including Groshelle’s grandfather, believe otherwise.
“It was not roughhousing, I don’t believe that one bit,” Jeremy Juntunen said. “I don’t believe that this was an accident.”
Shortly after 7 p.m. on Friday night, more than 100 people gathered inside the pavilion at Lawrence Park. Jeremy Juntunen said a few words about his grandson before a family friend led the group in a prayer. Soon after, Michelle Riska, Takara Juntunen’s boss at a local coffee shop, announced that a nonprofit organization was being formed to help prevent future deaths like this.
After a few brief words, the group solemnly walked into the middle of the park with balloons and candles in hand. After the group formed a circle, they let the balloons drift off into the wet, winter sky and said, “Justice for Forrest.” The air of silence was broken only by the sobbing of the boy’s grandmother, Cindy Juntunen, into her friend’s arms.
“My favorite memories of Forrest were always walking through the door and having him come running at me to give me the biggest hug you can imagine,” Jeremy Juntunen said. “He always had a smile on his face.”
Newberry is being held in Flathead County jail and is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 26. If convicted, he could face up to 100 years in prison.