A whole bunch of individuals packed a small upstate funeral residence Saturday to recollect Edward Wilkins, who was shot to loss of life by the NYPD officer husband of his lover.
Wilkins, 20, was killed Sunday after Sean Armstead, 36, trailed his spouse, Alexandra Vanderheyden, 35, to a Wallkill lodge for her obvious rendezvous with Wilkins.
Armstead chased after Wilkins on NY-211 and crashed his automotive into the younger man’s. Wilkins bought out and ran for his life as Armstead fired and fatally wounded him, earlier than killing himself.
“It’s a horrible tragedy. He simply turned 20. His birthday was April 12,” stated a lady who recognized herself as Wilkins’ grandmother however wouldn’t present her identify.
“I blame the girl,” she added.
There was no signal of Vanderheyden, who lives in Port Jervis, on the wake, which occurred on the William M. Gagan Funeral House in Pine Bush. Wilkins was stated by sources to have labored on the older lady’s canine strolling enterprise.
Mourners, together with highschool associates of Wilkins, have been supplied with small remembrance playing cards bearing a photograph of a smiling Wilkins in a cap and robe from his 2020 commencement from Pine Bush Excessive Faculty.
Poster boards of the younger sufferer lined the partitions. On one board have been certificates of his accomplishments together with for safety guard coaching and movie manufacturing and a photograph of him profitable a wrestling match, his hand-held up within the air signaling victory.
Different images confirmed a youthful Wilkins on Little League groups. In a single, he’s sporting a Boston Crimson Sox jersey and grinning for the digicam.
His obituary on the funeral residence web site described him as “a lover of all issues baseball” who was working as a safety officer at Resorts World Catskills in Monticello and “wanting ahead to a future in Corrections.”
Wilkins lay in a brown casket clothed in a child blue button down shirt with a teddy bear by his facet.
“It’s not truthful, it’s not truthful, it’s not truthful,” wailed a lady in entrance of his casket whereas hugging a mourner.
A good friend who recognized herself as Amelia referred to as Wilkins “a fantastic individual.”
“He by no means did something that he wasn’t presupposed to. He was at all times good to everybody. He was like my brother,” she stated, breaking down in tears.
