The mother of murdered Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach will be speaking at the Hill AFB Sexual Assault Awareness Month luncheon on April 26.

Mary Lauterbach testified during the 2010 trial which ended in the first degree murder conviction of former Marine Cesar Laurean.

Maria Lauterbach was 6 months pregnant at the time of her murder. Laurean failed to show up to a hearing about the rape charges and left for Mexico where he held dual citizenship at the time.

At the end of the trial after the conviction, Mary was allowed to address Laurean. She told him that he had taken away the opportunity to see and hold Maria's unborn child. "You have taken all of that away from us. You have taken Maria's life and then you desecrated her even more by trying to burn her body in your own backyard," she said according to news accounts.

Prosecutors were reported to have speculated that he was thinking he needed to get rid of Maria in order to salvage his career. His wife had previously produced a note she said he had written which claimed Maria had slit her own throat during an argument. However, autopsy results revealed her death was the result of a blow to the head and the cut on her neck may have been delivered after death.

The conviction is currently under appeal.

Since the trial has ended, Mary Lauterbach has decided to speak out regarding non-combat deaths for military women and the violence against them.

The luncheon will begin at 11:30 a.m. at The Landing. The Luncheon is beef or vegetarian lasagna, $11 for members, $13 for nonmembers.

For tickets go to https://einvitations.afit.edu/inv/anim.cfm?i=101371&k=0361430A7C56.