For years, Tamron Hall chose not to talk publicly about her sister's untimely death for fear people would think she was exploiting the tragedy.
The star has since confessed she held immense guilt over Renate's 2004 murder which remains unsolved to this day.
But she's speaking out and using her platform for good as she raises awareness about domestic abuse.
"For a long time I was hesitant about sharing our story,” she told People. "I didn’t want to be another well-known person saying, 'Look what happened to me and my family.' But then I said, screw that. I can save a life."
What happened to her?
Renate — the daughter of Tamron's stepfather — was found face down in the pool of her home in Houston, Texas. She had been beaten and bludgeoned to death.
It came after years of abusive relationships. Tamron said her sister was in a relationship with the only man who was brought in for questioning. But lack of evidence means the case remains an unsolved homicide.
Speaking out
© Tamron Hall ShowIn 2019, Tamron had a frank conversation with her nephew, Leroy Moore III, about his mother’s murder.
It was 15 years after her death and Tamron and Leroy spoke on her NBC talk show.
"I carried much guilt for many years believing I had abandoned my sister and that I was more worried about career than family," she said.
"When I look back she would call me and ask, 'Hey can you make it down for the weekend?' and every time I drove down there would always be tension in the household and that’s kinda when I look back I realize she was calling me down there to avert that tension that was in the household."
Domestic violence
© Getty ImagesBefore her death, Tamron said she witnessed an altercation between her sister and her boyfriend. She'd urged her to leave him but later realized her approach was wrong.
"I said to her, 'What's wrong with you?' 'You’re too beautiful. Too smart. You can do better.' All the things I've learned now are wrong [from domestic abuse advocates], I did them all."
Tamron now dedicates her time to advocating for domestic violence victims and speaking out on the issue.
© Variety via Getty ImagesShe teamed up with Safe Horizon and has created The Tamron Renate Fund to help women and men like Renate to get support and help.
"I wanted my sister to be more than a Google search and I wanted this story to be more than something of a curiosity," she said. "I wanted to find a way specifically to help the next sister, mother, friend who does not know what to say but they know there’s a problem. They know there is abuse and they don’t know how to address it and we want to provide a support for them as a guiding light."
If you or someone you love needs help, Safe Horizon has a 24-hour hotline. 1-800-621-HOPE (4673)
