Guest Blog By Sonia Chavez

My Brother’s Tragic Death in Prison By Sonia Chavez (Published in Preston’s Charm book, June 2024.) 

Before you read Sonia’s essay, I’d like to announce that I need more essays ASAP to post on this blog and also to publish in the sequel book I plan to release later this year, Let's Talk Grief 2: Essays From the Real Grief Experts. At the end of this blog, I included guidelines and instructions on how to submit an essay. This is an opportunity for you to share your voice on a bigger platform and with a larger audience.  

Sonia and me in the Cracker Barrel Parking Lot in 2022. That's my first RV in the back ground.

I’m a waitress at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store in Las Vegas, Nevada. I received Preston’s Charm from Hogan Hilling. During a work break, I walked out to the parking lot to smoke a cigarette. I made eye contact with Hogan, who parked his RV for an overnight stay. He smiled and said, “Hi.”

Then I smiled back and said, “Hi, I’m Sonia.”

Hogan and I chatted for a few minutes. He briefly told me about his trip. He seemed like a nice guy and gave off good vibes. So I asked him if I could visit with him after I got off work.

“Sure.” He said.

Later that evening, on my way to Hogan’s RV, I walked to In-N-Out and bought a burger and fries. When I arrived at his RV, I shared my French fries with him, and we chatted for a while. I was intrigued and impressed and asked questions about how long he’d be on the road, where he'd been, and where he planned to travel next.

After Hogan shared his experience on the road, I decided to share the story of my brother’s death. As I told him the story about Jesus, I started to cry. “I’m sorry,” I said. 

“That’s okay. I’m sorry for your loss. Feel free to talk about it with me.” He said.

“Thanks. And thanks for letting me talk about it. I don’t get to do that very often.”

I don’t know what triggered me to share it with Hogan, but I felt comfortable talking to him about it.

My brother’s full name is Jesus  Monzon. We called him “Chuy.” He was born on June 19, 1980, and died on December 26, 2002. When he was born, he entered this world feet first and endured some medical complications. The doctor said that Jesus may have suffered some minor brain damage and will experience some developmental delays.

Chuy was a good, caring, and loyal person, but a lack of partial brain development hampered his decision-making. He was easily influenced by other people, especially bad people, like gang members in our neighborhood who took full advantage of him.

At age 16, Chuy made a bad decision to go on a joyride with a friend who had stolen a car. The police arrested Chuy and his friend. On his court date, the judge released him on his own recognizance with the condition that he appear at his next court hearing. He agreed, but then made another poor decision and fled Las Vegas. For the next few years, he was a fugitive living and working in Texas, and living a good, clean life.

In 2000, during his visit to Las Vegas to see me, a police officer pulled Chuy over for a traffic violation. After the police officer did a background check, he discovered the warrant for Chuy. He was arrested, prosecuted, and sentenced to 2 years at the High Desert Prison in Indian Springs, Nevada, about an hour northwest of Las Vegas.

While at Indian Springs, Chuy shared a cell with three other inmates. During a cell search, the guard discovered a knife in his bunk. It wasn’t his, but he didn’t want to be a snitch, so he kept quiet and took the blame for the infraction. The warden punished Chuy by sentencing him to serve the remainder of his time at Ely Maximum Prison in White Pine County, Nevada, which is known to house dangerous gang members. One of them is the Mexican Mafia.

Not long after Chuy arrived, he was ordered to murder a cellmate as an initiation into one of the gangs and also for protection from other cellmates, specifically from other races. He refused because the person he was ordered to kill befriended him when he arrived at Ely, and it wasn’t in him to murder another person.

Several months later, a cellmate murdered Chuy as an initiation into the gang and for protection from other cellmates. He stabbed Chuy over 100 times.

Chuy and I were one year apart and very close. His death was really hard on me, especially the way, when, and the time of year he died. He was brutally murdered on Christmas Day, one week before his scheduled release date from prison.

During his time in prison, he just wanted to serve his time and then turn his life around. But the prison culture was brutal, and it eventually took his life.

My first year of grieving Jesus’ death was very hard. I drank a lot to bury my emotions and numb the pain and anger of losing a wonderful brother in such a senseless and tragic way. But somehow I managed to learn how to cope with his death and move forward.

It has been over two decades since his murder, and it is still hard to forget his death and talk about it. I never know what will trigger the grief. It just sneaks up on me as it did during the time I met Hogan in the Cracker Barrel parking lot.

I miss Jesus so much!

Jesus’ death will always hurt, but it does get easier with time. Preston’s Charm has helped a little. I don’t know how to explain it or how it makes me feel. Nevertheless, I still carry Presto’s Charm and have yet to decide where I will leave it or when to give it to a person who might need it more than I do.

The new and improved book cover by Erika Marie Tuttle.

Let’s Talk Grief Essay Guidelines and Instructions

The author must submit their essay through the “Let’s Talk Grief™” website’s “Get In Touch” Form located on the Home Page above the photo at http://www.letstalkgrief.org. In the form, paste your essay and include a written statement of permission for publication on the Let’s Talk Grief Blog. My goal is to publish 50 essays. If I select your essay for the book, I will request another permission lette. And as I did witht the other contributors in the first Let's Talk Grief book, I will share 50% of the royalties from book sales with the 50 Contributors.

Anyone who submits an essay for the second book will receive a FREE Digital copy of the first “Let’s Talk Grief” book.

Please don't worry about grammar or writing skills. Just write from the heart. I will review and edit the essay, then send it back to you for your review, edits, and approval.

You have the freedom to write whatever you like about your grief experience. Write the essay in Times New Roman, 12-point font, and with double spaces, word count between 1,000 and 1,500 words. I will make exceptions for essays with more than 1,500 words. Deadline for submission is July 30, 2026.

Together, Let’s Break the Silence and Heal With Grace, Peace, and Harmony