Mourners console each other Friday morning after the funeral Mass at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church for Adrienne Bedoya-Heredia and her four children. The five were murdered, along with a sixth victim, Luis Rios, on June 24 at a home on East La Mesa Street in Yuma.
Pallbearers place a coffin into a hearse following the funeral Mass on Friday morning for five victims of a homicide June 24 in Yuma.
During the funeral, Phillips said that since eulogy means "good words," he would try to offer some to a grieving family and city. However, he understood that good words were not in the minds of many on this day.
"We have been shocked. We are in awe of the terrible thing that has been visited on this family," Phillips said. "You and I have seen the face of evil."
But Phillips also offered jous memories of those who had died. He spoke of Adrienne Bedoya-Heredia's love of her children. Bedoya-Heredia is the daughter of Art Bedoya and Dora Velazquez.
"She was a young mother who was full of great compassion, full of a great sense of vibrancy in her life," O'Keeffe said. "We are missing that."
Phillips spoke of the close bond between the two older brothers. The boys, sons of Kenneth Crawforde, were known for their skills as boxers.
"Andreas was a talker," Phillips said. "The two brothers were very close.But Enrique was quieter. He went around taking notes, checking things out. He was not quick to leap in any direction."
Inez was a tough little girl but also a little woman who enjoyed dressing up and being feminine, Phillips said.
The Heredia family attends St. Paul's, Phillips said, so he was invited to be a part of the funeral service.
After the funeral, the 31 white-gloved pallbearers slowly wheeled the five flower-draped caskets out of the church and into waiting hearses. The fathers, Crawford, Newman and Danny Heredia Jr., were all pallbearers for the caskets of their children.
Now two weeks after the murders, Phillips said the funeral would offer some closure and allow the family to begin letting go. However, he knew that would never be possible for some.
The most important thing, Phillips said, was to live by being proactive with good, not reactive to evil.
"I'm moved with compassion by the support," Newman said. "t's too bad for everyone that we have to come together for such a bad event. I feel for everyone who has suffered."
Theresa Guerrero, a friend of Adrienne, said that it was a blessing for so many people to come to remember the victims.
"It's very sad," she said. "I just want them to get the person who did this."
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Photos by Jacob Lopez / The Sun
Jeffrey Gautreaux can be reached at jgautreaux@yumasun.com or 539-6858