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'You're Always With Us'

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By TODD LESKANIC, The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 9, 2007

WESLEY CHAPEL - In a sense, nothing has changed for Derek Pieper's family and friends.

They visit his MySpace page.

They go into his room.

They talk to him.

They call his cell phone and leave messages.

'Hi, Derek. It's mom,' Susan Wood will say to her son's voice mail. 'I'm just checking in with you. I know you're safe. I miss you. Love you.'

Wood leaves such messages regularly, knowing her shaggy-haired son won't be returning her calls or walking through the front door of their Avocet Drive house.

July 28 will mark a year since Pieper was found dead on a dirt road in Trilby. Someone shot him and his friend Raymond Veluz, then left them side by side, face down in the dirt.

Pieper was 17, Veluz 18.

Pasco County Sheriff's Office investigators are in the midst of a complicated investigation to determine who shot the teens and why.

Court filings in a related murder case offer a glimpse into some of the theories surrounding the boys' deaths, but no clear-cut motive emerges. Suspects' names are tossed around in depositions, but detectives have yet to amass enough evidence to arrest anyone. Investigators have not spoken publicly about the slayings since they happened.

Wood and her husband also kept quiet but recently decided to talk about their son and their lives since his death.

'I just want everyone involved to pay for what they did,' Wood said without a hint of rancor in her voice. 'I don't care if it takes three years, as long as I know.'

Veluz's family didn't respond to interview requests.

A K A 'Hollister'

The Woods agreed to be interviewed partly because they took issue with previous descriptions of their son as a drug user. Initially, rumors swirled that the killings were drug-related.

Susan Wood said investigators have told the family that's not true. Besides, a drug user couldn't have played lacrosse or maintained a spot on the honor role, as Pieper did, they say.

'He was never in trouble,' said Steven Wood, the stepfather who helped raise Pieper. 'He was just a young kid having fun. He was the kind of kid that if you verbally chastised him, he'd almost go into tears. I never had to spank that kid.'

Pieper loved his red Ford Escort that's still parked in the Woods' garage. He waxed it so much that now it needs to be only rinsed and wiped with a towel to restore the shine. He took meticulous care of his appearance and was finicky about his clothes, which earned him the nickname 'Hollister.'

'He wore Polo shirts with the collar flipped up,' Susan Wood said. 'His hair had to be a certain way; his teeth were bright white. He would scrub his white tennis shoes before school.'

Lacrosse played an increasingly important part in Pieper's life when he began attending Wesley Chapel High School in 2003. Pieper's teammates were devastated by his death and dedicated this past season to him. The team retired his No. 11 jersey. Players still visit the house and sit in his room to remember their lost friend.

Wood has left her son's room untouched. It's filled with lacrosse memorabilia - a helmet, jersey and pictures of Pieper on the field. A wooden box containing Pieper's ashes sits next to the bed; he wanted to be cremated, his parents said.

'Something Was Missing'

His teammates posted updates on Pieper's MySpace page throughout the season.

'Hey man, we've got the playoffs coming up pretty soon,' one teammate posted April 3. 'We're gonna need your help from up there more than ever. I really wish you were here man. This year would've been a lot of fun with you. Regardless, you're always with us.'

Pieper's friends continue to post on his page. Most recall the good times, writing almost as if they think Pieper is still alive. Other posters say they miss him.

'We graduated on Saturday,' one wrote May 30. 'And I kept thinking that something was missing. And I remembered that it was you. I miss you so much Derek. And I keep thinking about how you were supposed to be here, graduating with the class of 2007.'

Pieper did graduate, his mother said. Susan Wood said he had earned enough credits to graduate by the end of his junior year, thanks to dual enrollment at Pasco-Hernando Community College.

She attended the ceremony May 26 and received his diploma.

Attending the graduation was just one of dozens of ways the Woods keep Pieper alive in their lives. They attended some of his team's lacrosse games this season, his mother wearing his jersey.

Every week, they visit the site where Pieper and Veluz were killed.

Pieper's older brother, Bryan, erected a pair of crosses there. The Woods put fresh flowers at the crosses and trim the grass when it gets high.

Questions fill their minds. Did Derek suffer? What were his last thoughts?

'You know, it just kind of gets harder as time goes on,' Susan Wood said. 'I know that we'll meet up again someday, but it's not easy, even if you think about that.'

Reporter Todd Leskanic can be reached at (352) 521-3156 or tleskanic@tampatrib.com.

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