Murder-suicide victim's mom speaks on losing 2nd child

TINTON FALLS – For the second time in her life, Roxane LaMont prepares to face what no parent should have to experience: the burial of her child.

Roxane LaMont and her husband, Bill, will say goodbye to their second daughter, 25-year-old Sara LaMont, who was killed by her boyfriend in an apparent murder-suicide at Tulane University in New Orleans.

They plan to take her casket to the Rockland Cemetery in Sparkill, N.Y., next week and lower it a few feet away from her sister, Sharon, who died of Batten disease nearly 20 years ago.

"I never thought I would be burying a second child," Roxanne said in a phone interview with the Asbury Park Press. "Never."

In the wake of her daughter's death, Roxane has found solace in the little things. Roxane's favorite days are snowy ones, and this week's flurries brought her hope that maybe Sara was watching over her from the clouds.

"I love snow, and since she was killed, it has snowed every day," said Roxane, 55, of Tinton Falls. "I can't help but think she's trying to give me a little bit of happiness in the midst of despair."

New Orleans police found Sara and her boyfriend, 28-year-old Wajih Mazloum, unresponsive Sunday morning inside a home on the 5500 block of Willow Street, Officer Garry Flot said. Detectives determined that Mazloum shot Sara and turned the gun on himself.

David Meyer, dean of Tulane Law School, sent a letter to students about the tragic deaths. He described Sara LaMont, a second-year law student, as an excellent, budding leader.

"Sara was an enormously talented student who was well on her way to achieving her high school dream of becoming a leader in the sports industry," he said. "I will express the condolences of our entire community to Sarah and Wajih's families and will share additional information on memorial plans as they develop."

Another loss

For the LaMonts, Sara's death comes nearly 20 years after their their first-born daughter, Sharon, died after battling the long-term degenerative brain disease.

"The whole process was excruciating because she was fine until the age of 3," Roxane recalled.

When Sharon died, Sara was 5 years old. Roxane said Sara had trouble adjusting to the situation, but she improved after the family started attending conferences from the Batten Disease Support & Research Association.

It also helped, she added, that Sara was an easy-going and independent child growing up. She rarely asked for help on her homework and was fairly quiet. It seems Sharon's death had that effect on Sara.

Despite the loss, the family enjoyed good times together. Sara always watched Sunday football with her parents, and a football rivalry was born. Sara was born into a Jets house, but she rooted for the Steelers.

"I'm a Jets fan so of course she had to pick the other team," Roxane said, laughing.

Her uncle, Dominick Calsolaro, said he tried to convert her into a Giants fan, with no luck.

"That was something we'd have major disagreements about," said Calsolaro, who lives with his wife Mary LaMont Calsolaro in Albany, N.Y.

Still, Sara convinced her parents to get lunch at Danny's, a popular hangout for Steelers fans in Red Bank.

"She always had a love of sports," Roxane said. "And she never played sports, which was so bizarre.".

For Roxanne, to go through such a loss again with Sara was unthinkable.

"She had such promise," the mother said. "Her future was going to be so incredible, and everybody said that."

A 'brilliant' student

Sara knew she wanted to pursue sports management since she was in middle school, family members said. She graduated from Communications High School in Wall and went to the University of Connecticut to study sports management.

She spent some time after graduation working for minor league baseball teams until she was accepted into the law school program at Tulane. There she impressed her peers with her quiet, but clever demeanor.

"Nobody thought anything of this little girl because she's tiny, but when professors would call on her she would knock it out of the ball park," Roxane recalled. "As the year went on, everybody started noticing her, and they realized how brilliant she was."

In her first year of law school, Sara LaMont ranked third in her class, surprising her peers. That summer she worked as a clerk for Brian A. Jackson, chief judge of the United States District Court, Middle District of Louisiana.

For this summer, Sara LaMont had secured an internship with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates, one of the most prestigious law firms in the country. She planned to start working with their Houston office in late May.

"Her hope would have been to work with a football team, one of the NFL teams," Roxane LaMont said. "I think that was what her real hope was, or to get into a sports law firm down the road. And she would have done it too. I have no doubt about that."

Calsolaro agreed that Sara had a bright future ahead of her.

"She was interested in things that average people wouldn't think about," he said. "Most people wouldn't look at sports that way."

After graduation, Sara worked for the Lakewood Blueclaws and Trenton Thunder. She was a ticket sales manager for the Blueclaws.

The Lakewood team released a statement to the Asbury Park Press expressing its condolences. "Sara was a wonderful person. We are deeply saddened by the news. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends."

At Tulane, her peers held a candlelight vigil in light of the incident, said university spokesman Michael Strecker. The school plans to hold a memorial service in Sara's memory in the spring when her parents can attend.

Visitation is scheduled from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday at St. Anthony's of Padua Roman Catholic Church, 112 Bridge Ave., Red Bank.

The burial is scheduled for Monday at the cemetery, but Roxane said she might need to reschedule it because of the forecasts are predicting snow to hit the area. Still, she added, she sees the snow as a sign that Sara's still with her in spirit.

"I think Sara herself is helping me," she said. "I think she's watching over me."

Steph Solis: 732-643-4043; ssolis@app.com