Lily Burk Memorial Held Last Night at Barnsdall Park

A memorial service for 17-year-old Lily Burk, who was murdered late last month while out running errands for her mother, was held last night in Barnsdall Art Park. About 500 people gathered to remember the short life of the Los Feliz teen, according to the LA Times, who was remembered through "song, poetry and heartbreaking tributes."

In the place where she often spent time with her family, friends and relatives spoke about the Oakwood student's achievements, her warm personality, and her joy for living. Said her father, Lily was someone who "could see right into our souls without even thinking about it, and she loved us anyway."

Burk's murder has raised much discussion about the perils of "clerical flub[s]" in the penal system as well as the frequent arrests of Skid Row inhabitants, since the man accused of the crime is 50-year-old parolee and transient Charlie Samuel.

He allegedly accosted the teenager near Southwestern University, and demanded she withdraw money from an ATM, which she was unable to do. Although Burk placed calls to her parents regarding money, they did not hear from her again and her body was found the next day with signs of blunt force trauma. Samuel was already in custody at the time, for drinking in public, and his fingerprints in her car connected him to the Burk case.