MIDLAND COUNTY, Texas — Misty Burch was only a teenager when Garland Leon "Butch" Martin was sentenced to life in prison for the deaths of her family friend, Marcia Pool and her two children, Kristen and Brady.
"I loved them," said Burch. "I loved those babies so much and I loved Marcia, she was my favorite person ever."
It's a day she says she's never forgotten, even 20 years later.
"On that initial day, I think it was just shock," said Burch. "Like how could someone that I and my family trusted and we were around often, I just really can’t imagine this man walking free. It’s just devastating and it opens up a lot of wounds as well, like revisiting all of that."
She recalls seeing marks on Marcia's body from abuse she had allegedly suffered from Martin.
"I witnessed her coming over to my house with black eyes and verbal, mental and emotional abuse," said Burch. "There were black eyes, there were bite marks on her shoulders, scratches on her, frequently."
Lawana Burrow, another longtime friend of Marcia, remembers similar occurrences.
"In the middle of the night, I hear Marcia screaming my name," said Burrow. "My husband and I ran to her room and found Butch on top of her, choking her. He had both hands around her neck and he was biting her on her shoulder and when we flipped the lights on, he jumped off her."
Because of the abuse the women say they witnessed, both believe Martin should not be released from prison.
"Having him walk free would be an insult to them," said Burch. "I think with Kristen and Brady, they didn’t get to live their lives. They didn’t get to get any of those things that everybody else got to have."
Even over 20 years later, they say they'll never forget.
"I just miss them," said Burch. "I miss them a lot and I think about them often. February 25, every year is a day that I’m barely able to get out of bed because that’s the day it happened. It’s really affected my life even now. I’m 39 years old and that happened when I was a kid."
Martin's attorney, Allison Clayton with the Innocence Project of Texas, said for years they've been trying to prove her client's innocence.
"I mean, we represent him because we believe in him and we've been working on this case for years, and we are staunchly, staunchly in favor of the fact that Butch is innocent," said Clayton.
As of right now, Martin awaits the recommendation of a judge and a decision from the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.