Kasandra Perkins funeral and memorial service held in North Texas and Austin
A memorial service and funeral have been held in North Texas for Kasandra Perkins, the slain girlfriend of Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher.
Family and friends gathered at a church in Blue Ridge to remember 22-year-old Kasandra Perkins, five days after Jovan Belcher shot her multiple times before shooting himself in the head.
Life Celebration Funeral Home said a separate service will be held Saturday in Austin, followed by burial in nearby Pflugerville.
The Chiefs will be represented for at least one of the services, USA TODAY Sports reported.
Jovan Belcher shot Kasandra Perkins in the master bathroom of their Kansas City home on Saturday morning, hitting her in her chest, neck and abdomen. Her body was found by Jovan Belcher’s mother, who heard the shots.
Jovan Belcher, 25, then drove with a handgun to Arrowhead Stadium, where he thanked team officials before kneeling down and shooting himself in the head in the parking lot.
The deaths came after an increasingly troubled relationship between the pair, who friends say were struggling with the stresses of work and bringing up their three-month-old baby, Zoey.
As well as the baby girl, Kasandra Perkins is also survived by two siblings, her parents, grandparents and a great-grandmother, according to the Turrentine Jackson Morrow funeral home.
It comes a day after the entire Chiefs organization, including players, coaches, front office personnel and ownership, attended a memorial service for Jovan Belcher.
A memorial service and funeral have been held in North Texas for Kasandra Perkins, the slain girlfriend of Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher
The team moved up its practice schedule so that players could attend the service at the Landmark International Deliverance and Worship Center, where Jovan Belcher and Kasandra Perkins worshipped.
Before the service, veteran offensive lineman Ryan Lilja said he hoped the memorial would provide some closure for the Chiefs, who will try to win their second straight game Sunday at Cleveland.
“You got to try to deal with it however you deal with it, and grieve the best way for the individual and I think this is the best way for us as a team to get closure and move on and focus on football.”
Ryan Lilja said some players have taken advantage of counseling services that have been provided by the Chiefs and the NFL and that there’s been a change in the atmosphere around the team building.
“There definitely is more,<<How you doing? How you feeling? How you coping?>>” Ryan Lilja said.
Jovan Belcher’s mother Cheryl Shepherd, 54, has temporary custody of the couple’s baby and relatives have said she will take responsibility for the infant.