It was a quiet night in Oklahoma City, the kind of night that felt unremarkable in the grand scheme of things.
Jaedynn Anthony, just 18 years old and a brand-new mother, was working the graveyard shift at a local 7-Eleven.

Alone in the store, she was doing what she had to do to survive, to make ends meet.

She had dreams of giving her 1-year-old son, Brayden, a better life, a life filled with love, security, and happiness.

At 2:45 a.m., the doors of the store opened, and a man named Anthony Gonzalez walked in.

He was 24 years old, and at first glance, he looked like just another customer.

Jaedynn greeted him like she had greeted so many others before him.

A simple “hi” as she glanced up from behind the counter.
He smiled and said “hi” back.

But what she didn’t know — what no one in that store could have possibly known — was that in just a few moments, her entire world would be shattered, and so would the world of everyone who loved her.

He walked in.

This man, Anthony Gonzalez, seemed like nothing more than a regular customer to Jaedynn.

They exchanged a quick greeting — the kind of polite exchange that happens every day between a worker and a customer.

Jaedynn had no reason to think that anything was out of the ordinary.
She had worked many late shifts at that very store, greeting strangers with a friendly smile and a simple hello.

But on that night, this seemingly normal exchange would be the last one she would ever have.

And then he stabbed her to death for less than $40.

The tragedy that would follow unfolded in an instant.

Gonzalez didn’t waste any time.
After the brief exchange, he demanded that Jaedynn open the cash register.
She did as she was asked, not realizing the danger that was about to take her life.

As soon as the drawer opened, Gonzalez lunged at her, stabbing her in a quick, deliberate motion.
The violence was shocking in its brutality and speed.

He didn’t hesitate, didn’t show any sign of remorse.

With a steady hand, he committed the heinous act and then, as though it meant nothing, calmly walked out of the store with less than $40 in cash — a sum so insignificant in the grand scheme of things that it is almost impossible to fathom why it was worth the price of a life.

Jaedynn, left bleeding on the cold floor of the convenience store, never stood a chance.
Her life was stolen in a matter of seconds.
Her future, her hopes, her dreams — all extinguished in the blink of an eye.

And for what?

Less than $40.The sum was so small, it felt like a cruel joke that her life would be deemed worth so little.
She was left alone, her blood pooling around her, as the world outside continued on without her.

Customers later walked in and found her dying.

It wasn’t until later, when other customers walked into the store, that Jaedynn’s lifeless body was discovered.
They found her in the same spot where she had worked for hours — the same spot where she had greeted Gonzalez with a smile just moments earlier.

The discovery of her body sent shockwaves through the community.
No one could believe it.
A young mother, a hardworking employee, left to die alone on the floor of a convenience store, a victim of senseless violence.

Jaedynn never made it home that night.
She never had the chance to kiss her son goodnight or hold him close, as she had done so many times before.
Brayden, her precious 1-year-old, would never see his mother again.

He would grow up without the woman who brought him into the world, the woman who loved him with all her heart.
Instead, he would only know her through stories and pictures, a reminder of the mother he would never know.

A baby who will grow up without his mother.

Brayden’s life, his childhood, would be marked by the absence of the one person who had given him life.
He would never get to experience the joy of being with his mother, to laugh with her, to feel the warmth of her embrace.

Instead, he would be left to grow up with the empty space where his mother should have been.
He would have to carry the weight of that absence throughout his life, a burden no child should ever have to bear.

Her family has shared how Jaedynn wasn’t even allowed to have a phone while working.

She had no way of reaching out for help in an emergency.
No way of contacting anyone in her time of need.

All she had for protection was a can of pepper spray — a flimsy defense against a man with a knife.
And yet, that pepper spray wasn’t enough to save her.

It wasn’t enough to protect her from the man who would take her life for no reason at all.

Her cousin, in a statement that cut through the heart of the tragedy, said it best:

“The audacity to say hi knowing what you were about to do to this young baby.”

Gonzalez had the audacity to greet Jaedynn as though everything was normal, to exchange pleasantries with her before carrying out an act of unimaginable cruelty.

And all for a few dollars.
Jaedynn was no more than a target to him, a means to an end.
He didn’t care about her life, her dreams, or the family she was leaving behind.

He shattered a family, and he sentenced a 1-year-old child to a lifetime without the person who meant everything to him.

Prosecutors are now seeking the death penalty.

The prosecution has called the murder especially heinous and cruel.
They are seeking the death penalty for Gonzalez, hoping that the severity of the crime will be met with a punishment that matches the violence of his actions.

But as much as the court system may try to deliver justice, no sentence can bring Jaedynn back.
No punishment can undo the pain her family is feeling, the grief they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

No sentence can replace the empty space in Brayden’s heart where his mother should have been.

But no sentence brings back a mother.

No punishment will ever fill the empty crib that Brayden will grow up beside.
No amount of justice can replace the life that was stolen from Jaedynn, the future that was taken from her son.
She should be here, raising her child, watching him grow up, laughing with him, teaching him, loving him.
Instead, she is gone.

Her life, her love, her promise — all taken away for less than $40.

Jaedynn should be here to see her son grow.
She should be here to celebrate the milestones, to witness the joy of parenthood, to enjoy the sweet moments of life.
Instead, she is no more than a memory.

A memory of a young mother who was taken too soon, for reasons that no one can understand.

No justice replaces a life stolen for $40.

Her family will never be whole again.

No amount of money, no punishment, no legal ruling can ever replace what has been lost.
They will never see Jaedynn again.
They will never be able to hold her, talk to her, laugh with her.
They will never again experience the joy of her presence, of her love.

All they have left are memories, and those memories will never be enough to fill the void left by her death.

Jaedynn should be raising her son.

Jaedynn should be there, watching Brayden take his first steps, hearing his first words, watching him grow into the young man he’s meant to be.
She should be there to guide him, to protect him, to love him.

Instead, Brayden will have to face life without his mother, a child forced to grow up far too soon.

Her family will be left to carry the weight of her loss, to try to make sense of a world that no longer makes sense.
They will have to live with the fact that Jaedynn was taken from them in the most violent, senseless way possible — for less than $40.
They will have to live with the pain of knowing that a mother, a daughter, a sister, and a friend was murdered, and that no amount of justice will ever bring her back.

Rest in peace, sweet mama.

Jaedynn deserved safety.
She deserved to go home to her son.

She deserved to live, to grow, to experience life to the fullest.
Instead, she was stolen from us, her life taken in an instant, for a sum so small it’s hard to even comprehend.

Rest in peace, Jaedynn Anthony.

You deserved so much more.
You deserved to be here.
You deserved to go home. 💔