It's been 21 years since Dawn Inocencio last saw her twin sister.
Still, she said it doesn’t get easier talking about Christine Blubaugh’s murder.
“It leaves that hole in your heart that you can never really replace. And you know, my kids have to grow up without her. They don't know who she is,” said Inocencio.
Blubaugh describes her sister as an all-around nice person, a tennis player and a member of the orchestra.
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In March of 2000, the girls had just attended their junior prom.
Inocencio said there were rumors around South Grand Prairie High School that her sister was looking to date someone new, upsetting a boyfriend Inocencio knew was controlling.
“He would sit outside the house for hours,” said Inocencio.
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She wouldn’t know until later, that was just the tip of the iceberg.
Friends would go on to report a pattern of abuse after Christine disappeared one March night and her body was found in a south Grand Prairie field the next day.
Police say her boyfriend had shot them both in a murder-suicide.
Twenty-one years later, Grand Prairie Assistant Chief Ronnie Morris said he still thinks about the case.
With two of his own young girls now at home, he often reflects on dangerous signs that were missed by Blubaugh’s teenage friends.
“Adults have a hard enough time navigating their way through domestic violence and dating violence, how could we expect our kids to know what those signs are, much less know what to do about it,” said Morris.
He said many have told him if they knew then what they know now, they would’ve reported issues between Blubaugh and her boyfriend to adults.
With that in mind, Morris sat down a couple of years ago to draft a bill requiring public middle and high schools to teach kids what to look for and the resources available to help them or someone else.
Last week, Inocencio and her mom were there as Senate Bill 1109, sponsored by Senator Royce West, was presented to the state Senate education committee.
They unanimously voted to send it to the Senate floor.
It passed and now awaits a House vote.
Inocencio hopes seeing it go into effect will not only keep her sister’s memory alive but also prevent others from experiencing the pain Christine did.
“It could save lives. If it saves one life, it's doing what it's supposed to,” said Inocencio.
