‘My light in my dark days’: Friend remembers Seward woman killed in shooting

SEWARD, Neb. (KLKN) – The longtime friend of a woman shot dead in Seward last week is turning her loss into a call to action.

Jamie Hagen’s friends remember her as a caring and funny woman, with an infectious smile.

Megan Emons looked back on 18 years of memories on Friday at Twisted Scissor, a hair salon where she and Hagen shared many hours of laughter.

“I can’t even tell you how many times she’s helped me,” Emons said.

She called Hagen “my light in my dark days.”

“That was Jamie,” she said. “Not a hateful bone in her body.”

Authorities said Casey Kindt shot and killed Hagen, his ex-fiancee, in her home, then tried to kill himself.

SEE ALSO: Man charged with first-degree murder in shooting of ex-girlfriend at Seward home

Emons recounted how she found out about her friend’s death.

“My mom calls me and asks me, ‘Is that your Jamie Hagen?'” she said. “And I was like, ‘What?’ She said, is that your Jamie Hagen, the one in Seward? Like, is that her? And I automatically went on Facebook, and it popped up.”

Hagen’s death inspired Emons to help in any way she can.

First, she started a GoFundMe campaign to help support Hagen’s two young daughters.

“The first thing I thought about was McKenna and Jalen,” Emons said. “And I said, ‘They need something,’ because when I finally talked to Jamie’s stepmom, she was like, ‘The girls don’t have anything.'”

SEE ALSO: ‘It’s absolutely terrifying’: Seward homicide puts spotlight on domestic violence

Emons is also part of a petition that’s calling on Judge C. Jo Petersen to step down.

Petersen handled an assault case against Kindt, as well as a protection order case that Hagen brought against him.

After Kindt was accused of violating the protection order, prosecutors asked Petersen to revoke his bond. Instead, she just raised it.

Emons said this is about more than just providing financial support; it’s a message to those in abusive relationships and to the community that domestic violence is real and affects everyone.

“It takes seven times for a victim of domestic violence to leave,” she said. “Seven times. It took me more than that.”

Emons said Hagen was one of her biggest supporters when she herself was facing domestic violence.

“I wish that she could say she was a survivor as well,” Emons said.