Alexander Urtula was a Boston College student who "jumped to his death" in 2019. His girlfriend, Inyoung You, was later charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Devastating Loss
In a report with Poynter, Urtula's family was devastated over the loss. It was found out that Urtula suffered physical, psychological, and verbal abuse at the hands of his girlfriend.
Urtula and You were students of the Jesuit university. They had been dating for over a year.
Prosecutors said that You was often manipulative and would send her boyfriend text messages urging him to kill himself. When David Guarino got word of the tragic news, he did not hesitate to reach out to the grieving family.
Request for Privacy
He told the news outlet that the family wanted to grieve in private. They requested that they not want media attention following their son's death.
Guarino understood the dilemma they were in. He knew that reporters were only doing their job by wanting to hear the family's side of the story.
The former journalist advised the family to release a statement. He also served as spokesman on their behalf.
Becoming Spokesperson
Guarino would also answer questions and take requests from the press.
He told the news outlet that the media would call him, asking for an interview with his family.
The Urtula family had control of which news outlet would interview them. Guarino recalled receiving 500 calls from different journalists.
He admitted that it was an overwhelming number for a family who wanted to mourn the death of their loved one.
Guarino said that the Urtula family is not the only client he has helped. His mission has allowed him to work with survivors of high-profile tragedies.
He launched Survivors Say in 2021 as a response to the need of grieving families in need of support.
Guarino provides free strategic communications for the media and the survivors of high-profile tragedies.
He explained that the survivors and their families are left alone. Most did not know where to begin after the tragedy. Guarino added that it did not help that reporters wanted to get their side of the story.
Guarino pointed out that while reporters are only trying to do their job, the family shuts them out because they also want to keep their lives private.
Helping Survivors of High-profile Tragedies
The nonprofit is currently in its early stages. Currently, they have 30 volunteers composed of journalists, PR professionals, and advocates for victims of tragedies.
Guarino explained that he wanted to have the volunteers help families who find themselves pushed into the spotlight against their will.
The nonprofit also gives a voice to those who feel that their stories are not heard.
The nonprofit has struck a chord in many of the volunteers. One of these is Ken Garfield, a freelancer from Charlotte. As someone who works in the media, he has come across those who have been affected by tragic events.
He said this was why he volunteered to be part of the team. Garfield wanted to help grieving people share their stories in a way that would help them find healing from tragedy.
According to the website, the nonprofit provides its services free of charge.
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