"I didn't know so many people loved him,” Emily Swan says, decked in a red bandana. It was her fiancée, 17-year-old Jason Grau’s, favorite accessory.

The sixteen-year-old says she's been coping with Grau’s death by remembering the love they shared.

"I just miss his smile and his baby talk,” she says. “He was so cute.”

Swan also says she and Jason’s family have been leaning on others in the community, like those who've organized Saturday’s benefit at the Finish Line bar in Eau Claire.

"You have to reach out, and feel that empathy for the family,” says Haley Whitwam.

Whitwam says she’s known Jennifer Grau, Jason’s mom, for nearly 17 years. She says she can't imagine what Jen is going through.

"I’m a mother of three kids and they're all teenagers. You can't always know where they are every minute of the day,” says Whitwam. “So when we found out about what happened to Jason, this hit close to home."

Police say Shane Hawkins stabbed Jason at this home in Chippewa Falls in February. Jason’s fiancée says she knew Shane, too, and is shocked this could happen.

"I used to be there all the time with Jason, and he seemed like a really good guy. I don’t know what happened. I guess he just must have snapped,” says Swan.

The ring on Emily’s finger may now serve as a reminder of the love she's lost. But, she says she and the Grau family have gained the love of so many strangers.

"He's got 3000 friends on his Facebook page. I think it's pretty amazing that 3,000 people would care about him and his family, and want to help them,” she says.

Grau's mom says the community has raised enough to cover most of the funeral expenses, but the family still needs money to pay for a headstone. You can make a donation to the Jason Grau Memorial Fund at any RCU branch or any Associated Bank.

Shane Hawkins remains in Chippewa County Jail on charges of first degree intentional homicide and hiding a corpse. His next court appearance is scheduled for March 29.

The Grau family says the Hawkins family has apologized to them for what happened.