Friends, family, well-wishers gather at vigil for slain Brockton brothers

BROCKTON, Mass. -- A memorial is growing in Brockton where two young boys were stabbed to death, allegedly by their mother as part of a ritual.

But on Thursday, hundreds of friends, family members and other well-wishers celebrated their lives at a vigil near where the boys lived.

The victims, Edson and Lason Brito were eight and five years old respectively, and many of their classmates have learned the grisly details of their deaths from other students, more than many parents say they would have shared.

To help process their pain, many parents have brought their children by the house to drop off teddy bears and balloons. Another classmate who spoke to Boston 25 News baked cakes to bring to the vigil in Edson’s favorite color.

>>PREVIOUS: Friend of slain Brockton brothers grieves through helping others

“It is absolutely heartbreaking, and my daughter is also 8, the same age as one of the victims. It just really hits close to home. I just figured we should do a little something,” one mother told Boston 25 News.

Parents we talked to said the service will help the community grieve together while showing support for the surviving siblings, who now will also be without their mom.

Latarsha Sanders was arraigned on murder charges earlier this week.

“This lady in this picture is not my mother. I’m 27 years old and I don’t know who this lady in this picture is,” Shalea Sanders, the sister of the victims, said.

A family friend has established a GoFundMe page called Help put to rest two innocent souls to help cover funeral costs.

TOP STORIES:

Cox Media Group