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APRIL SAUL / Staff photographer

Friends of Charlenni Ferreira celebrate her 11th birthday last night, just hours after her funeral.

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READER FEEDBACK

A day to mourn and celebrate Charlenni

By JULIE SHAW & CHRISTINE OLLEY
Philadelphia Daily News

shawj@phillynews.com 215-854-2592

CHARLENNI FERREIRA lay in an open white casket, with a bow in her hair, as pink and white balloons floated above her feet.

In a solemn memorial service yesterday morning at the Guckin Funeral Mansion in Kensington, family members, school-district employees and friends mourned the death of the young girl.

Later, in the evening, neighbors gathered outside Charlenni's Feltonville home, holding a birthday party to celebrate her life. Yesterday would have been her 11th birthday.

At the morning ceremony, the Rev. Marisa Herrera, who conducted the service in Spanish, translating a part into English, told about 20 mourners that people may wonder what they might have done to prevent Charlenni's death.

But, she said, it's more important to learn from the loss of Charlenni, and for people to be more vigilant from now on about the children in their communities.

"We may say to ourselves, what could I have done?" she said. "Let us not ask what we could have done, let's do it.

"In honor of Charlenni," she said, "let us say we are going to create a future that's safe for the children of our city."

Charlenni, 10, a fifth-grader at Feltonville Intermediate School, was found unconscious in her home on C Street near Loudon about 8:30 a.m. Oct. 21. She was rushed to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, where she was pronounced dead that morning.

The next day, authorities charged her father, Domingo "Anibal" Ferreira, 53, and her stepmother, Margarita Garabito, 42, with murder, endangering the welfare of a child, conspiracy and related offenses.

Early Sunday morning, Domingo Ferreira hanged himself in his jail cell. A memorial service, also at Guckin, was held for him yesterday after Charlenni's.

Those who knew Domingo Ferreira contend he did not abuse his daughter. He was a limousine/taxi driver.

"People, they don't believe it, they don't believe he did anything wrong," Frank Perez, a fellow limo/taxi driver, said yesterday outside the funeral home.

Hector Rivera, a friend of Ferreira's, said in Spanish after he left the service: "Nobody thought what was said of him is believable. He wasn't responsible."

Police said Ferreira was interviewed on the day of his daughter's death but did not give a formal statement. A police source said yesterday that Ferreira had said he "didn't even know anything wrong was going on" with Charlenni. He told detectives to "investigate her," referring to Garabito, the source said.

Garabito gave police a statement in which she admitted to beating Charlenni, the source said. She admitted to giving Charlenni a gash on top of her head and said that injury was about 4 or 5 months old.

She admitted to stuffing the gash with gauze, then trying to hide it with a hair weave, the source said.

Garabito said she was depressed and Charlenni wouldn't listen to her, the source said.

"What you found, it's my fault. I did that," Garabito allegedly said about the head injury, according to the source.

"It seems Margarita was, in fact, like the evil stepmother," the source said.

Police have also said Charlenni was sexually assaulted, and are awaiting test results.

In her interview, Garabito denied sexually assaulting Charlenni, even asking police how they dared insinuate she did such a thing, the source said.

Charlenni also lived with two stepbrothers, ages 16 and 19. They had been questioned by police and released.

Police said Charlenni died of a lung infection caused by untreated fractured ribs. One lung was collapsed. She had suffered various injuries both old and new, including a recently fractured hip bone.

Yesterday, at Charlenni's service, Victoria Yancey, a school-district representative, told those gathered that Charlenni liked Hannah Montana and blossomed around friends.

Lisa Matthews, Feltonville Intermediate School principal, told mourners that students and faculty are "experiencing a great loss."

After the service, well-wishers released the pink heart-shaped and white star-shaped balloons outside the funeral home.

Her casket, placed in a white box labeled "Handle with Extreme Care," was wheeled on a wooden gurney into a black hearse.

Sources said Charlenni's body was to be flown yesterday to the Dominican Republic for burial, where her biological mother, who is ill, lives. They said Domingo Ferreira was to be cremated.

Paulina Alvarez, 42, of Brooklyn, N.Y., Ferreira's sister-in-law, said, between services, "We're very sad."

Speaking in Spanish, she said Ferreira was a "good father."

Details about the memorial services had not been disclosed publicly after a family member said they were to be private.

A reporter was not allowed to go into the funeral home for Domingo Ferreira's service.

After it ended, a woman who said she was Ferreira's sister said in Spanish that she couldn't speak at the moment because everything was "too painful."

Ferreira's other daughter, Glenny Ferreira, 26, said earlier this week in her South Jersey home that her father never hit her or mistreated her.

Meanwhile, last night, about 50 people celebrated Charlenni's birthday outside her home.

There was a DJ, a cake with Hannah Montana decorations, and white, pink and purple balloons.

Wanda Torres, 37, who lived next door, said: "The last time I talked to her [Charlenni] was when she told me she was going to be Hannah Montana for Halloween."

Torres said she was "celebrating [Charlenni's] birthday today because it's never too late to do something, especially for a little girl who suffered so much."

Dali Blinco, 62, added: "I'm celebrating her birthday today because she's in peace now.

"She's not hurting."

Comments

Posted 08:41 AM, 10/31/2009

CityOfBrotherlyThugs

20 mourners at the funeral service and 200 people at the block party. Yup..we're talking about a community with its priorities in order.

Posted 10:58 AM, 10/31/2009

IamAteacher2

In their defense the service was private. Maybe family of Charleeni did not want anyone there. Additionally, it seems it was almost a joint service, with her father's being immediately afterward. That might have put a bad taste in peoples mouths. They might not have wanted to remember and Angel and a Devil at the same time.

Posted 11:21 AM, 10/31/2009

rita1

Give me a break, the father didn't do anything wrong.Did any of these people live in that house? If he didn't abuse her, he knew about it and did nothing,so he is just as guilty (i think he abused her also) he was a coward and killed himself, if he didn't particpate who would have wanted to SEE justice for his daughter.

Posted 11:53 AM, 10/31/2009

Wino

Where were all these people when she was alive and needed help?

Posted 11:57 AM, 10/31/2009

BobH517

father dead, mom in prison..who paid for the funerals??

Posted 12:18 PM, 10/31/2009

MrsDamian

The minister was right. We should all take this to heart and remember Charlenni when its time to speak up for the innocent. I can't think of one plausible reason why no one noticed this child's major injuries or took any action. Wasn't she in pain during class? What did neighbors hear? Was the child given heavy drugs so that her teachers and fellow students did not notice pain from broken ribs and a major gash? Did they notice any side-effects of the drugs? The nurse reported the situation, but why didn't school administrators take note and follow up? Are we all THAT blind? I am furious about this, and I didn't even know the child.

Posted 12:18 PM, 10/31/2009

MrsDamian

Posted 04:07 PM, 10/31/2009

ChescoMom

Once again a child is tortured and murdered and the family members and neighbors who did nothing to help her come out of the woodwork when the TV cameras are present. It seems that only the heroic school nurses who reported this poor child's abuse did anything to help her. Another great job by the incompetent caseworkers at DHS who don't seem to have either common sense or eyes in their heads. HOW could they have missed this child's horrific injuries?

Posted 04:24 PM, 10/31/2009

cwork

This just makes me sick. There are so many people out there struggling to have children (ME!) and there are sick people out there that just ... kill them. Just disgusting. Yeah... where were all these people when she was alive being MURDERED???!!! Stupid

Posted 05:16 PM, 10/31/2009

CountryRose

City of Brotherly Thugs said it: 20 at the funeral, 200 at a block party. Where is a sense of propriety, decorum and respect here? Charleeni did not HAVE an 11th birthday; she was killed before that; so what are these neighbors celebrating with pink/purple balloons and a DJ? Are the teaching their own children that death is not real, that there are still birthday parties and cake? Where are these neighbors' heads?

Posted 05:20 PM, 10/31/2009

RebecaLynn

@BobH517 - I'm hoping that DHS paid for the funeral since they obviously failed this child while she was alive.

Posted 05:28 PM, 10/31/2009

CountryRose

"Handle with Extreme Care" on the box holding the casket with Charleeni's little body inside is so ironic. The people that she lived with during her few years certainly did not handle her with extreme (or any other kind of) care.

Posted 07:33 PM, 10/31/2009

fmbjogger

yawn

13 comments

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