Mourners Say Goodbye To Slain Model Kaylyn Pryor
(CBS) -- More than 1,000 people filled the South Side New Covenant Missionary Baptist Church for the funeral of an aspiring 20-year-old model gunned down at an Englewood bus stop Nov. 2.
There was a moving dance tribute and fond memories, with an undercurrent of outrage, because victim Kaylyn Pryor's killer remains free.
"She did do everything right," said Alexis Blackwell, Pryor's cousin. "She was a motivator. She was a mentor. She did everything a 20-year-old was supposed to do."
Family members made a public plea for the killer to give himself up. Outside of church, Blackwell agreed.
"Turn yourself in and do the right thing," Blackwell said. "She did not deserve this."
New Covenant's pastor, the Rev. Dr. Stephen Thurston, told the congregation there is no rational reason for the code of silence that shields the killer.
"We have to break the cycle and we've got to break the code of silence in the community," he said.
A $16,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Kaylyn's killer.
"People need to decide what side they are on," said the Rev. Marshall Hatch, one of those offering the reward money. "Are they on the side of justice or on the side of people who are too cowardly to bring forth information."