Jasper Howard Funeral: Stabbed UConn Player Remembered in Miami
PICTURES: Slain UConn Player Jasper Howard
Howard's teammates arrived on four white buses for his funeral Monday morning. Each man carried a single white rose, tied with a blue ribbon, as he walked into the church in Howard's hometown.
Howard, 20, was a promising cornerback for UConn, the only member of his family to attend college and a future hopeful bread-winner for his family, which includes an ill sister. Howard also had a child on the way. He named his unborn baby girl the night before he was killed, according to his girlfriend Daneisha Freeman.
Howard was stabbed to death Oct. 18 after a campus dance party. Police have pored over video tapes, but have not charged anyone with the murder. Another player was also stabbed, but survived.
On Sunday, Howard's family and friends filed through a small South Florida mortuary Sunday to pay their respects at a viewing. Among them was David Nadal, the father of 18-year-old Daneisha Freeman, who is pregnant with Howard's child.
Howard was a "good kid" who would have been a wonderful father, Nadal said.
"I told him that no matter what, I understand he says he's going to be there 100 percent for her, that I'd be there for him, too, to help him out," said Nadal.
Howard's teammates also paid tribute to the cornerback at Saturday's game against West Virginia. Two UConn players carried his helmet and jersey before kickoff and both West Virginia and Connecticut players wore stickers on their helmets during the game. Connecticut players also held hands and bowed their heads for a moment of silence.
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PICTURES: Slain UConn Player Jasper Howard
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