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Hundreds attend informal, private memorial for B.C. model murdered in China |
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Written by Scott Sutherland, THE CANADIAN PRESS
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Sunday, 20 July 2008 |
A woman carries flowers as she arrives for a memorial service for Diana O'Brien, a model who was killed in China earlier this month, in Ganges, B.C., on Sunday July 20, 2008. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
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GANGES, B.C. - Hundreds of people gathered Sunday on one of British Columbia's Gulf Islands to tell stories and remember Diana O'Brien, a young model murdered this month in China.
"It was an incredible service," said family spokesman Ben Berry of the memorial ceremony held at a small Salt Spring Island golf club.
"You sure appreciate being from a small community when you have to deal with times like this."
O'Brien, 22, was stabbed to death while working as a model in Shanghai earlier this month. The slaying shocked the small community and especially those who had grown up with the young woman.
Guests arrived steadily under perfect clear blue skies, many of whom heard about the service by word of mouth on the tight knit island community of about 10,000 people.
"It was really hard for everybody there," said Berry, the older brother of O'Brien's longtime boyfriend, Joel.
"Diana was a pretty incredible person that touched a lot of people and, so consequently there was some real nice stories. It was pretty emotional for everyone," Ben told about a dozen reporters and photographers after the ceremony, which was open to the public. The media were not allowed in at the request of the family.
Small twine-wrapped photos of O'Brien, bearing the inscription "On angel's wings she forever fly's" were given to many of the guests.
Berry said a formal funeral has been planned, but refused to give any details.
Sunday's memorial was organized by one of the murdered woman's closest friends and drew about 500 people, including many who didn't know O'Brien, but heard her story and came to pay their respect.
Two popular restaurants in the island's main town, Ganges, were closed early in the afternoon to allow friends and former co-workers to attend the event.
Barry Kazakoff, owner of both the Mix and the Oystercatcher, where O'Brien had worked as a manager, said the slaying had devastated many of his staff.
"The regular cook was very close to Diana and has the whole day off," he said as he prepared to get out orders before closing the doors at 2 p.m.
Another former co-worker said the slaying had sent ripples throughout the Salt Spring community.
"No one could believe it when they first heard," he said. "She was really well liked and just a really, really nice person."
O'Brien went to China last month to pursue her modelling career.
Friends have said she was unhappy with her overseas assignments and planned to return to Canada before the end of her three-month contract.
The death has led to questions as to how far the agency representing O'Brien went to check on her work situation in Shanghai.
Chinese police said they'd arrested 18-year-old Chen Jun who'd confessed to killing O'Brien.
Police said Chen followed O'Brien into her apartment with the intention of robbing her on July 6.
The statement said O'Brien was killed after a struggle, though it did not say exactly how the model died.
Previous reports indicated she was stabbed.
Chen was arrested in nearby Anhui province.
He was in possession of O'Brien's laptop and other belongings, a police statement said.
Chen told police he followed O'Brien into her shared apartment Sunday night, a police statement said without giving further details.
The killing of a foreigner so close to next month's Beijing Olympic Games was an embarrassment for Shanghai police, who at first only released a two-sentence statement after the discovery of her body.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 07 September 2008 )
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