DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Hundreds of people turned out Tuesday night to pay their respects for Shykia Ward-Reese, 14, who police say was killed by her uncle, Royce Stewart, 36, this past weekend.
Ward-Reese was stabbed to death inside her Decatur apartment on Sunday.
Police found Stewart after a manhunt in DeKalb County. Stewart already served five years in prison after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter in 2004.
At a vigil Tuesday night to honor the Renfroe Middle School student, friends shared what Ward-Reese’s love for life and laughter meant to them.
"It feels like we just saw her yesterday," one friend said during the service. "She was my godsister, she was a friend, she was a sister, she was a role model. She was a good dancer."
It was that spark and infectious smile that loved ones say pulled hundreds to pay their respects Tuesday night to the vigil, put on by the Beacon Hill NAACP.
"Shykia could walk in and light up third period with a smile. And turn a walk to the pencil sharpener into a dance party," another friend said, not identifying herself.
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