Friends and family of slain Spiro woman Ka’Loni Flynn gathered Monday, March 4, at Oak Cemetery to remember her.
It would have been Flynn’s 21st birthday.
“She didn't get a chance to celebrate her 21st birthday like every 21-year-old should do,” said Herbert Flynn, Jr., Flynn’s dad. “She was taken away from us at a time when her life was just beginning.”
Herbert released 21 purple and lime green balloons. Those were Flynn’s favorite colors.
Friends chose to reflect on happier times. “She was always smiling, always happy, the happiest one in the room,” said Jolan Dunn, a friend.
Flynn was shot and killed April 8, 2012.
Christopher Kenyon Simpson, 26, of Fort Coffee, Okla., is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the shooting of Flynn which resulted in the death of her 12-week-old fetus.
Prosecutors say cell phone records show Simpson called Flynn to have her meet him on a rural road outside of Pocola, Okla., where she was found dead in her car the next day.
Investigators believe Simpson was the child’s father and that he wanted Flynn to have an abortion.
Simpson has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He’s being held without bond in the LeFlore County Jail. His trial is set for June 2013.
Herbert says his family is still hurting. “It's a void that's missing that never should be gone,” he said.
Flynn’s family plans to continue celebrating her birthday each year, weather permitting.