Jovan
Belcher reportedly apologized, kissed girlfriend after
murder
After
murdering his 22-year-old girlfriend, Jovan Belcher leaned
over to say he was sorry and kissed her on the
forehead, according to The Kansas City
Star.
The paper reports that Belcher's mother watched the tragic
goodbye after rushing into her son's bedroom when she heard
gunfire. Then, according to The Star, Belcher apologized to
his mother before kissing his 3-month-old daughter and
departing for the Chiefs' complex.
Jovan
Belcher reportedly told girlfriend Kasandra Perkins he
was sorry and kissed her on the cheek shortly after
murdering her in their bedroom Saturday. (Via
Instagram)
MORE: No easy answers as Kansas City Chiefs
grapple with emotions
More details continue to emerge in the aftermath of
Belcher's murder-suicide Saturday that ended with the
Chiefs linebacker taking his own life in the Arrowhead
Stadium parking lot as general manager Scott Pioli, head
coach Romeo Crennel and linebackers coach Gary Gibbs looked
on.
Police say the Chiefs had been providing counseling to
Belcher and his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins. Police Sgt.
Richard Sharp told The Star that the couple had been
arguing over relationship and financial issues for months
and that the team had been "bending over backward" trying
to help them.
According to the New York
Post,
Belcher had dinner with another woman Friday night
before staying over at her apartment. After returning to
his home on the 5400 block of Crysler Avenue, The Star
reports that he and Perkins were heard arguing.
That's when the yelling, and ultimately the gunfire, began.
PHOTOS: Jovan Belcher tragedy makes for emotional
game day in Kansas City
Upon arriving to the Chiefs' facility, Belcher was met by
Pioli and Crennel. Amid pleas from both to spare his own
life, Belcher thanked them for all they'd done for him.
“I got to go,” Belcher reportedly said, according to The
Star. “I can’t be here.”
From behind a vehicle, Belcher shot himself once in the
head. He was taken to a hospital, where he died, the police
report states.
Police spokesman Darin Snapp said Monday that Belcher's
mother, who had been staying with the couple, was given
temporary custody of the couple's daughter. But, he said,
it was unclear Monday if the grandmother and baby were
still in the Kansas City area or if they had returned to
Belcher's home in West Babylon, N.Y. Perkins was from the
Austin, Texas, area.
MORE: Who was Jovan Belcher? | Incomprehensible acts | Chiefs win vs.
Panthers
Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles and his wife, Whitney,
also released a statement Monday asking for privacy. In it,
the Charles' confirmed that Perkins and Whitney Charles
were cousins, and that Perkins was "not only family, but a
friend and a loving mother."
"As my actual family and my Kansas City Chiefs family have
been altered forever, we ask that you keep us and most
importantly their child in prayer," the Charles' statement
said.
Brianne York, 21, a friend of Perkins, said Sunday that
Perkins met Belcher through Whitney Charles.
Belcher's relatives also provided statements Monday, as
several relatives gathered outside of Belcher's boyhood
home, looking somber and sad. Yamiesse Lawrence, a cousin
of Belcher's, said the weekend's events were an
"inconceivable tragedy."
"As a family, no words can express the sorrow we feel over
the loss of Jovan and Kasandra," Lawrence read aloud.
She said the family is "overwhelmed with both sadness and
confusion," and extends thoughts and prayers to the Perkins
family.
">Link