Friends and family of Kasandra Perkins crowded a Baptist church in just 40 miles outside of Dallas to say their last goodbyes to Jovan Belcher’s girlfriend.
It had only been five days since Kasandra Perkins, 22, was gunned down by her boyfriend Kansas City Chief Jovan Belcher who shot her multiple times before ending his own life.
Despite the horrific circumstances of the pair’s end, at Kasandra Perkins’ funeral service mourners chose to remember her as a joyful person who brought happiness to everyone she met.
Mourners gathered before a white casket decorated with while lilies and pink roses at the St. James Missionary Baptist Church to lay Kasandra Perkins to rest.
“It’s a very tragic circumstance, a tragic situation,” pastor Steve Sweeney said as he offered a prayer for God that both Kasandra Perkins’ and Jovan Belcher’s family would find healing, and that their infant daughter Zoey would have strength.
Kasandra Perkins’ great-uncle Ted Downing told mourners at the service that the she loved her family and above all her daughter.
“She had a deep, deep understanding about the important things in life,” Downing told mourners.
“She always had no shortage of friends,” he continued.
“And I mean good friends.”
Jovann Belcher’s actions orphaned the couple’s three-month-old daughter, Zoey.
The NFL announced it will support Zoey, giving her $108,000 a year for four years. The amount dip to $48,000 annually when she turns 5, then rise to $52,000 a year until she is 18 or 23, depending on if she goes to college.