For organizer Rhonda Rallios, Riggins’ stepdaughter, the evening was a chance to remember the man who raised her, to grieve with others who cared for him, and to speak as though his killer were in attendance.
“I know that safe feeling that you stole from me will not come back until the police have you in custody,” Rallios said as she stood on the porch next to her husband, Richard Rallios. “… Anyone that know what you have done know you for the coward you are. You killed an old man and took a few trinkets.”
Relatives of Riggins set up candles for attendees to light, and there was coffee and hot chocolate to fend off the frigid night. Pictures of Riggins from happier times were attached to cardboard and propped up against a pillar. On the porch, a small table held a laptop with a revolving slideshow that showed images from his past. A small stereo stood next to the computer, playing songs from the man’s music collection.
People stood in small groups, their faces faintly glowing in the candlelight, and listened to a prayer by the Rev. Mark Buenafe of First United Methodist Church. Rallios spoke, and Lisa Cardoza-Makley, Riggins’ niece, followed with words about how his death has shattered the lives of those who knew Riggins.
Afterward, people milled about and seemed to share stories of Riggins.
Tuesday night marked exactly three weeks after a neighbor found Riggins’ body in a pool of blood inside his home.
Police say the killer also stole antique guns and collectible coins from inside the man’s home.
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