This podcast is a visit with the victim assistance coordinator of the Brazos County district attorney's office, Melissa Carter, visiting with WTAW's Bill Oliver.

The image linked to this podcast is from the Brazos County district attorney's office Facebook page.

The Brazos County district attorney's office has moved online, their annual holiday remembrance of victims of violent crimes.

Tuesday night's Tree of Angels program can be seen live, and it will be archived on the DA's office Facebook page.

Victim assistance coordinator Melissa Carter says family members came to the courthouse over a three day period to place angel ornaments.

Victims who were not represented by family members will have ornaments placed by members of the DA's office and local law enforcement representatives.

The tree with the angel ornaments can be seen through December on the third floor of the courthouse.

News release from the Brazos County district attorney's office:

On Tuesday, December 1, 2020 the Brazos County District Attorney’s Office will host the Eighteenth Annual Tree of Angels Ceremony.

This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ceremony will be held via Facebook Live on the Brazos County District Attorney’s Office’s Facebook page. The Brazos County District Attorney’s Office Facebook page is located at: @BrazosCountyDA. The ceremony will begin at 7:00 pm.

Over the last three days, victims’ families have had the opportunity to make an appointment and place an an gel ornament on a Christmas tree. Each angel represents and honors a victim lost due to violent crime.

This year’s virtual ceremony will continue the tradition of honoring the memory of these loved ones by reading their names and honoring them during the holiday season. Last year there were ninety angels placed on the Tree during the in-person ceremony.

After the ceremony, the tree will be moved to the third floor of the Brazos County Courthouse where it will remain throughout the month of December.

The Tree of Angels ceremony was initiated in Austin, Texas in 1991 by People Against Violent Crime.

Over the past twenty years, Tree of Angels has grown to include most counties in Texas.

Tree of Angels recognizes that the holiday season is a difficult time for victims and their families.

This special event honors them by making it possible for loved ones to participate in this solemn occasion.

It is a time for the community to join together in remembrance and support of victims of violent crime.