Family hopes for justice for murder victim

[MadelineB]

Family hopes for justice for murder victim
By LINDA STEIN
Posted: 09/29/12 05:53 pm

http://www.thereporteronline.com/article/20120929/NEWS01/120929583/family-hopes-for-justice-for-murder-victim&pager=full_story


Dawn Maher, center, with a photograph of her daughter Kyra (Kruz) Cordova, who was a victim of a homicide in Philadelphia. At left is Dawn's mother Marge Coalson, and at right is her sister Rhonda Herold. Friday, September 21, 2012. Photo by Geoff Patton

Kyra Cordova, 27, who grew up in Hatfield as Kristopher Herold and changed her name and gender, graduated from North Penn High School in 2003. On Sept. 3, someone took her life with a gunshot wound to her head in the Frankford section of Philadelphia, leaving her mother, Dawn Maher, devastated.

The family is raising money to offer an award, she said.

Cordova, who also used the last name "Kruz," was very active in the Philadelphia gay, lesbian and transgender scene.

She hadn't gone for surgery to change her sex but was taking hormone therapy since she was 18. She recently went to court and had her name legally changed.

Many of her high school friends stayed with her through her transition.

"I fell in love with her personality and contagious laugh," said Moore. "I liked so many things about Kyra. I loved her personality, her sense of humor. She had a big heart. She was always ready to give to any cause."
....
Meanwhile, Cordova's grieving family seeks justice.
-----------------------

On Saturday, Oct. 6, the 2nd annual Transgender March will be held at Love Park in Philadelphia at 3:30-5 p.m. This year it will be held in memory of Cordova.

If you know anything about the crime, please call Philadelphia Police Homicide Unit at (215) 686-3334.

[Elsa]

I hope whoever did this is found and hung!

[V M]

I also hope they find the perpetrator of this terrible crime

[MaidofOrleans]

I hope whoever did this is found and hung!

Killing is a terrible form of punishment, the dead don't learn lessons.

I'm a personal fan of restorative justice as being vindictive hardly solves anything, it just leaves two dead and nothing else. Let them spend the rest of their days in service to those they've harmed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restorative_justice

[Kitteh Engimeer]

Killing is a terrible form of punishment, the dead don't learn lessons.

I'm a personal fan of restorative justice as being vindictive hardly solves anything, it just leaves two dead and nothing else. Let them spend the rest of their days in service to those they've harmed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restorative_justice

I'm personally against the death penalty, and (being that I didn't know anything of it until now), I think I can agree with some of the theory behind restorative justice. But there has to be some defined/understood system of repercussions that keeps people from committing a crime in the first place, since it seems that restorative justice can only take affect following the incident. Maybe some mass media method of sensitizing people in general about barbarity like this?

[MaidofOrleans]

I'm personally against the death penalty, and (being that I didn't know anything of it until now), I think I can agree with some of the theory behind restorative justice. But there has to be some defined/understood system of repercussions that keeps people from committing a crime in the first place, since it seems that restorative justice can only take affect following the incident. Maybe some mass media method of sensitizing people in general about barbarity like this?

Education and support are the best weapons against these sort of things, especially for newer generations as older ones are usually a lost cause or have long ago developed the core moral fabric that is the foundation for their behavior.

On a side note, most homicides are spur of the moment and fear of punishment rarely stops someone from committing them.

[Nero]

Such a beautiful girl with a great smile. 

[Cindy]

So sad.

Why oh why.

A family destroyed by death and grief and the oxygen thief who did it has destroyed his life as well.

For what.

RIP