DANVILLE, Va. – Prayer, song and scripture marked the vigil held in memory of three slain relatives of minor league baseball pitcher Blake Bivens.

The vigil was held at The River Church in Danville, Virginia, on Wednesday night. Approximately 50 people scattered among the pews at the church as senior pastor Jackie Poe led those in attendance in prayer for the Bivens and Bernard families.

Poe summoned people to the steps of the altar, and while some people dabbed the tears from their eyes, sniffles and sobs were also audible.

The vigil was held hours after a news conference where Pittsylvania County Sheriff Michael Taylor discussed some of the details of the Tuesday killings. Matthew Thomas Bernard, the 18-year-old brother-in-law of Blake Bivens, is charged in the deaths of Bivens’ wife, the couple’s toddler son, and Bivens’ mother-in-law.