REUTERS/Daniel Kramer
Cassidy Stay, the 15-year-old who survived an execution of her parents and four siblings and managed to warn police, spoke at a memorial ceremony Saturday after being released from the hospital. “I’m really thankful for all of the people who have been praying for me and keeping me and my family in their thoughts these past few days,” Cassidy said. As many likely wondered how this brave girl could cope, Cassidy then quoted a passage from Harry Potter that she says helped her. “In The Prisoner of Azkaban, Dumbledore says, ‘Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.’ I know that my mom, dad, Bryan, Emily, Becca, and Zach are in a much better place, and I’ll be able to see them again one day... stay strong.” Authorities say that Ronald Lee Haskell, 33, who was divorced from Cassidy’s maternal aunt, arrived at their home dressed as a FedEx driver and tied her up along with her parents and siblings in a room and shot them each in the head. Cassidy’s parents, Stephen, 39, and Katie, 34, and her siblings, Bryan, 13; Emily, 9; Rebecca, 7; and Zach, 4, all died. Cassidy survived after being shot in the head and hand by playing dead.