Lauren Daverin Murder: Memorial service held for slain N.Y. teen found on footbridge
(CBS) ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. - Family and friends are mourning the death of a Long Island teen who was found slain on a Rockville Centre footbridge Aug. 22, according to CBS New York.
PICTURES: Lauren Daverin, NY teen, found dead
A wake for Lauren Daverin, 18, was reportedly held Monday night, where family members gave their first public comments since the murder.
"She was way too young to be brutally taken the way she was taken," Lauren's mother, Kathleen Daverin, said of her daughter.
"Lauren was a passionate, independent, proud, honest, spunky and beautiful person," said Suzanne Caldeira, one of Lauren's sisters.
Police say Daverin was found beaten and naked on August 22 by friends on a footbridge over Merrick Road in Rockville Center.
Daverin's friends told CBS New York they had been hanging out by the footbridge at night and left Daverin drunk with other people. Upon returning, they found her body and called police.
Maxwell Sherman, 18, has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the case.
Sherman spoke with CBS New York at the crime scene a day before he was arrested. At the time of the interview, he was not a suspect.
Sherman told a reporter that he met Lauren for just five minutes when he saw a friend that was hanging out with the group and asked him for a cigarette.
The reporter asked Sherman if there had been anything going on that would suggest that somebody was getting hurt. He said, "Nah, everybody was just chilling; hanging out."
In the mugshot, the suspect is seen wearing the same shirt he was wearing during the interview with CBS New York. Scratches on his face are also visible in the photo.
Sherman has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail.
Complete coverage of the Lauren Daverin case on Crimesider
