ALBANY — Jennifer Gray felt both relief and sadness Wednesday, as a jury handed down a guilty verdict to Erick Westervelt, the man prosecutors say killed Gray’s brother, Timothy.
"Obviously our family is very pleased that the jury saw the truth for what it was," Jennifer Gray told The Enterprise Wednesday evening. "Unfortunately, it’s not going to bring my brother back."

Timothy Gray was a sweet man who loved his friends and family, his sister said. At 28, his life was cut too short, she said.

Late on the night of Oct. 5, Bethlehem Police told The Enterprise last fall, Westervelt went to Gray’s house, at 95A Elsmere Ave., and beat him in the head and face with a hatchet. Gray died five days later.

Westervelt, of Guilderland, was jealous over a woman, police said. He confessed to the assault and, Wednesday, was found guilty. (See related stories.)

This week, Jennifer Gray, who lives with her family in Westchester County, described getting a call from Bethlehem Police on Oct. 6. Detectives told her to come to Albany Medical Center right away, she said, because her brother was severely injured.
"It was just heart-breaking when we saw him," Gray said. "His injuries were gruesome."

Timothy Gray was in a coma, his sister said, and she never got to speak to him again.

"Easygoing person"

Timothy Gray was the middle child of three siblings. His sister, Jennifer, is three years older.
"We were close," she said. "Tim had a heart of gold. He would do anything for anybody and his smile would melt your heart."
Gray graduated from Plattsburgh State University and made many friends there, his sister said. He belonged to a fraternity, to which he was very loyal, she said. Many of his fraternity "brothers" attended Westervelt’s trial, she said.

Gray moved to Bethlehem last July, to be with his girlfriend, Jessica Domery, his sister said. He delivered water for Culligan Water in Troy.
"He was funny," his sister went on. "He was such an easygoing person."

Timothy Gray loved the Yankees and he played hockey and baseball, his sister said.

Dealing with death
Jennifer Gray said she suspected right away that Westervelt had assaulted her brother. She knew the two were having "issues," she said, over a woman.

Domery had dated Timothy Gray for five-and-a-half years, his sister said. For a half-year, from December of 2003 to June of 2004, she dated Westervelt, witnesses testified. Then, Domery left Westervelt to go back to Gray.
Asked about her feelings for Domery, Jennifer Gray said, "Unfortunately it’s a sad situation for everybody. She made some bad decisions. As a woman, you never think dating someone else will lead to someone being killed...Hopefully this will be a lesson for other people."

Gray, along with her parents and other brother, commuted from their Westchester County home and stayed in the area to sit through every day of the trial. Many of Timothy Gray’s friends also sat through the testimony.

The trial was difficult, Jennifer Gray said. The worst part was hearing the descriptions of how Timothy Gray was beaten, she said.
"It sent chills through my body," she said.

But, she said, she understood that the defense attorneys had a job to do. She repeated this when The Enterprise asked how she felt about Westervelt’s intention to appeal.
"I don’t have faith that that would ever come to be," she said. "It’s like grasping at straws, but, it’s Erick’s right to do that. In the end, things will work out and Erick will get what he deserves."
Jennifer Gray said she was nervous while waiting a full day for the jury to deliberate. "Once I heard the word ‘guilty,’ I let out a lot of emotion. It was a relief and, at the same time, I had to put it in perspective because it’s not going to bring Tim back," she said.

Her family has done a lot of crying, Jennifer Gray said. They try to help each other through the tough moments, she said. They know Timothy Gray’s death was senseless, she said, and they don’t try to figure out its reason.
They will never forgive Westervelt, she said, but now that he has been found guilty, her family can "begin the healing process."

Jennifer Gray spoke to a woman whose child was murdered, she said. The woman told her that the pain never goes away, but she finds ways to learn to appreciate the limited time she had with her child.
"We had 28 great years with Tim," his sister said. "He cherished every day he had with his family and friends and Jessica. He tried to live life everyday to its fullest....We learned that from him and that’s what we’re trying to do now."