Mourning their loss: Hundreds turn out to say goodbye to teen killed in stabbing
As published on page one of the August 2, 2011 edition of The Keene Sentinel, and online.
MARLBOROUGH -- Flashes of green peeked out among the more formal black funeral attire at the graveside memorial service for a slain Keene High School student Monday morning.
Hundreds of friends, family and classmates of Craig Metivier clustered around a red and black urn to pay their last respects to the 17-year-old, who died from a stab wound on Dunbar Street in Keene on July 24.
Green was Metivier's favored color, and mourners found a variety of ways to incorporate the hue into their outfits, from a subtle choice of shoelaces to neon green T-shirts and a green lei.
Several of the younger men wore green baseball hats and bandanas, which they removed during the service.
Metivier's uncle, Bryan Fletcher of Keene, read a letter he wrote conveying his love and pride to the teen he described as "a leader, not a follower."
"You walked your own path, with your clothes and your funky hairdos," he said, eliciting a wave of soft laughter from the crowd.
A family friend then led the group in prayer and hymns.
The service was brief but people lingered for some time in the cemetery, taking the opportunity to rest their hands on Metivier's urn in a final goodbye.
Three people fainted in the hot sun.
Metivier's family said they were moved but not surprised by the large turnout.
"He was a very loved little boy," said Kayla Calkins, 24, Metivier's sister.
Calkins and Metivier's mother, Sonya L. Fletcher, said they have been comforted by outpourings of support and affection that have followed Metivier's death, including the groups of young people who have gathered in downtown Keene over the past week.
"My family and friends have been wonderful, but it's the kids I can wrap my arms around who are my greatest comfort," Fletcher said after the memorial service.
But she also had a message for anyone with information about what happened on the night her son died.
"This was a murder," she said. "People need to come forward and tell the attorney general what they know."
Ethan Wilson, 19, whose last known address was in Swanzey, according to court records, faces a charge of second-degree murder in Metivier's death.
The two were once friends. Wilson is being held at the Cheshire County jail without bail until a probable cause hearing Wednesday.
After the service came to a close, some of the older mourners looked startled to hear the younger contingent let out a group yell of "whoop, whoop," but the sound brought a smile to Fletcher's lips.
"I love that," she said. "That was Craig: 'whoop, whoop.' "
tagged with: Craig Metivier
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