I never really knew Darien Richardson very well — just met her a few times in the various social settings that young people hang out in — but I still remember vividly the shock and pain that swept through town following the news of her death.

Darien was a bright, beautiful, accomplished young woman. A 2002 graduate of South Portland High School and 2006 graduate of Bowdoin College with a degree in sociology, she dreamed of becoming a teacher.