We are in need of donations so that we can continue our efforts to free Aaron, raise awareness, advocate for victims, and change laws.
We are a pending California 501(c)(3)
non-profit organization.
Please sign the petition asking the Governor to release Aaron from prison.
Save Aaron
End the Silence of Child Rape
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"It is very tempting to take the side of the perpetrator. All the perpetrator asks is that the bystander do nothing. He appeals to the universal desire to see, hear, and speak no evil. The victim, on the contrary, asks the bystander to share the burden of the pain. The victim demands action, engagement, and remembering." Judith Herman, M.D.
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Aaron Vargas was arrested on February 8th, 2009 for allegedly killing the man who sexually and psychologically abused him for 20 years. The abuser, Darrell McNeill, abused many children in the small community of Fort Bragg, California. McNeill was a well-known realtor, Boy Scout leader, and Big Brother. The abuse was reported to the police by victims, and by McNeill's former wife, but no investigation was done - McNeill was never even questioned. McNeill stalked and harassed Aaron up until the day he died, even asking to see and to babysit Aaron's child. He harassed other victims as well, including one who committed suicide in 2006.
On June 15, 2010, Aaron was sentenced to 9 years in prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter. Aaron is a kind, caring, selfless person, and loving father. His community, as well as the McNeill family, support him and do not want him to be locked up. Aaron was traumatized in a way which we cannot imagine. He needs help, not punishment.
Photo of Aaron taken by McNeill during a 2-week fishing trip in Oregon, which is when the abuse began. The abuse is written all over his face.
Bobby Vargas (Aaron's brother) and Michael McNeill (Darrell McNeill's son) protesting at the Ukiah Courthouse.
Aaron is only one and a half years older than me, and we have always been very close. Aaron was the kind of brother who included his little sister in everything. He taught me how to ride a motorcycle and how to fish. I looked up to him and admired his adventurous spirit and bravery.
Somewhere along the way everything changed - Aaron changed. I no longer saw that twinkle in his eye or mischievous smile. My big brother didn't want to go on any adventures, he just wanted to be left alone. I saw so much pain in his eyes, and he'd sometimes hurt himself. I knew that something was terribly wrong - I seen it and I felt it - but I wasn't able to identify what it was. I just knew that a darkness had closed in. I wanted to help my brother but I didn't know how to help him or what to protect him from.
On February 8, 2009, I found out that our childhood neighbor was a child rapist and that he had raped Aaron for years. All of the questions that I had been asking myself since childhood had finally been answered. I finally knew what had caused the pain in Aaron's eyes, and why I had those feelings of sadness, anger, and fear. That was just how I felt, as the sibling of a child sexual abuse victim. I can't imagine how Aaron has felt all of these years. I can't imagine how Aaron survived that living hell - sexually abused for many years, then stalked and harassed by his abuser.
Now Aaron is being abused by our system - the same system which did not protect him as a child. Please join me in showing Aaron that he is worth protecting and fighting for. Please help me bring Aaron home to his fiancee and little girl, where he can begin to heal from the hell that he has been through.
~ Mindy
Aaron, Bobby, & Mindy
The predators most powerful weapon is the silencing of his victims.
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We Must End the Silence!
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Contact us at: SaveAaron@yahoo.com
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