Members of the Kaufman County community gathered at the Kaufman Courthouse at noon on Monday, April 8, to watch a special U.S. flag be raised in memory of slain D.A. Mike McLelland and his wife Cynthia. The same U.S. Honor Flag that flew for Assistant D.A. Mark Hasse will now fly for a 24 hour period to honor the McLellands.
Members of the Kaufman County community gathered at the Kaufman Courthouse at noon on Monday, April 8, to watch a special U.S. flag be raised in memory of slain D.A. Mike McLelland and his wife Cynthia. The same U.S. Honor Flag that flew for Assistant D.A. Mark Hasse will now fly for a 24 hour period to honor the McLellands.
According to Chris Heisler of the Honor Network and U.S. Honor Flag organization, Mike McLelland is the first person to have touched the honor flag while alive and later be honored by it after death. McLelland met with Heisler two months ago after Hasse was killed. Heisler told the crowd gathered at the courthouse and across the street, that Mike McLelland was deeply touched by the story behind the flag and he was proud it would fly for his friend Mark Hasse. The flag normally flies at half-staff, but Heisler said by the authority of the President, “this flag will fly at full-staff” to honor Mike and Cynthia McLelland.
Related: Governor Perry honors slain Kaufman County D.A. with flags at half-staff
The flag was given to Chris Heisler by the Texas House of Representatives just after the Sept 11, 2001 attacks. Heisler took it to ground zero where it was flown. It has since flown for thousands of fallen soldiers, officers, and firefighters, and other heroes across the U.S. Heisler spoke at the Honor Flag ceremony, and on behalf of the McLelland's family he thanked everyone for their support and prayers. He emphasized that he and the family appreciate the efforts of law enforcement to find whoever killed the McLellands. Heisler said, “The law enforcement in Kaufman County are some of the best law enforcement in the entire country.”
Heisler told the crowd, “The frustration is that somebody out there knows what happened. They know who did this...we need those individuals to come forward to bring justice to Kaufman in honor of these three souls that gave their lives.” He continued, “I'm pleading with you, on behalf of the family, to come forward.” The family of Mike and Cynthia McLelland were on hand for the ceremony.
Judge Bruce Wood also spoke at the ceremony, pointing out the green ribbons around the courthouse trees, and those on the lapels of county workers. He explained that the color green represents that “hope springs eternal,” thus representing their hope and prayers that the people responsible for the three murders will be caught and brought to justice. He added, “We stand together.” He then reiterated the need for someone to come forward and call the Kaufman County Crime Stoppers anonymous hotline with information about the Hasse and McLelland murders.
As the ceremony ended, the crowd fell silent, leaving only the clanging sound of the flag against the pole. The honor guard officers stood at attention, guarding the flag while onlookers began to drift away. Officers will take turns guarding it while it flies for 24 hours in Kaufman County. One woman walking away from the courthouse was overheard saying, “I hope it never has to fly here again.”
If you have any information about the murders of Mark Hasse or Mike and Cynthia McLelland, please contact the Kaufman County Crime Stoppers hotline at 877-847-7522. There is a reward of up to $200,000 for information that leads to the arrest or grand jury indictment of those involved in these murders.
