Faith Pulling Kara's Kin Through

The siblings in Kara Borden's family have been held together by their faith, a close friend of the family says, in the wake of the murder of their parents.

Borden's boyfriend, 18-year-old David Ludwig, is charged with shooting Cathryn and Michael Borden to death in their home in rural Lititz, Pa., near Lancaster, in a dispute over his relationship with Kara, 14.

A close friend of Kara's oldest brother, James, 25,

"As you can imagine, they're all devastated," says KellyMarie Conlon, 24. "But Mike and Cathy Borden raised a family that's very devout in their faith, and their faith has really been what's holding them together during this time.

"I talked to James last night, and he told me they found a lot of strength in the Lord who has, in this time of tragedy, provided them with several miraculous ways of staying together as a family."

Another close family friend, Zach Acox, tells Syler a prayer service for Cathryn and Michael at their local church Wednesday night was "very poignant. There were several people who stood up … to offer prayers to the Lord. And there was a large list of people that they wanted to offer prayers to, namely the children and obviously Mike and Cathy Borden, and a number of other people.

"It was very moving. I actually cried several times during it, and many of the people there did as well."

Conlon says she hasn't spoken with James about whether Kara and Ludwig had a sexual relationship. "What we've been concerned with is how the family is doing and how they're holding up and, you know, how they're staying together through this time of difficulty," Conlon says.

Acox and Conlon have helped establish a trust fund for the Boren siblings.

"We want to provide for the health, welfare and education of all the children, especially Katelyn (15), Kara and David (11), as they are the minor children," Acox says. "They will need the most assistance in this time. We wanna take care of immediate expenses, continuing expenses and their college education, the things that Mike and Cathy Borden would have otherwise been able to take care of themselves."

The Bordens also have a 20-year-old brother, Justin.

Editor's note:

Donations to the trust fund can be sent to:
Borden Family Trust
c/o Blue Ball Bank
PO Box 448
Lititz, PA 17543

A Web site still being established will be found at bordenfamilytrust.org.

Or you can email Zach Acox at bordenfamilytrust@zacox.net, or KellyMarie Conlon at kellymarieconlon@gmail.com.