Family says farewell to Jun Lin in emotional service

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This article was published 27/07/2012 (5135 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WARNING: Graphic details from this story may disturb some readers.

MONTREAL — It’s a word the mother of dismembered Chinese student Jun Lin never thought she’d associate with the man charged with murdering her son.

Sympathy.

Originally, sorrow and anger dominated Zhigui Du’s thoughts as she asked herself how such an appalling thing could happen to her son in a kind and peaceful country such as Canada.

But as she laid her 33-year-old son to rest Thursday, Du said she has begun to feel some sympathy toward a man she used to call the “devil.”

“Back then, I could only use ‘devil’ to describe the alleged murderer,” said Du, whose son’s gruesome murder has captured worldwide attention.

“But later on, when I learned more about this suspect through different news sources, especially about his upbringing, I shockingly discovered my other self who has started to develop sympathy for this person described as ‘devil.’ “

Du, who was too distraught to attend the funeral itself, made the remarks through an interpreter during an eulogy she gave at a news conference.

Lin’s dismembered torso was found May 29 stuffed in a suitcase dumped outside a Montreal apartment building. Various body parts were found mailed to different parts of the country and in a Montreal park.

Luka Rocco Magnotta has pleaded not guilty to several charges in connection with Lin’s death, including a count of first-degree murder.

Any sympathy on Thursday was mixed with grief and sadness as Lin’s family said their final farewells.

They decided to bury their son’s remains in the land he loved and in the city he loved most.

In an emotional 30-minute ceremony, Lin’s father sobbed openly as he sat in the front row. Before the ceremony began, he entered the chamber and clutched his son’s urn, crying uncontrollably.

Father Henry Rodriguez, who presided over the funeral, called Lin a loving and considerate son who loved life. His life was ended by an “evil act.”

“We need to take this opportunity to turn this horrible situation into something positive that brings justice and peace back to this family and to society,” Rodriguez said.

“We cannot lose our faith and trust in human beings.”

— The Canadian Press