Perkins And Belcher Families Release Statements

John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

In the wake of Saturday’s terrible murder of Kasandra Perkins at the hands of her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher, both the Perkins and Belcher families released statements today.

Both statements are below:

"“On behalf of the Perkins Family, we appreciate the outpouring of love and concern for our Kasandra “Kasi” Perkins. Our hearts are truly broken for Kasi was a beloved daughter, granddaughter, sister, mother, cousin and friend. At this time we request the media respect our privacy during this difficult time as we grieve for our loved one. Please keep us in your hearts and prayers as well as the Belcher family for two lives were lost. Again we thank you for your support, our wish is for Kasi to be remembered for the love she shared with us all. Kasi will be truly missed!”"

"“Jovan was our son, brother, uncle, cousin, nephew, grandson, and friend and we will miss him and Kasandra dearly. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Perkins family as they mourn.We loved Jovan. His kindness, humility, respect and gratitude for family and friends were steadfast. The man we know and loved for 25 years embraced life and excelled at all he put his energy behind. Jovan was overjoyed when Kasandra gave birth to their daughter, Zoey.He was happy to be a new father both he and Kasandra loved Zoey greatly. The immense outpouring of sympathy and support from Jovan’s friends, teammates, coaches and fans have been a reflection of the impact he had on so many people. Like them, we will cherish the wonderful memories we have of Jovan and we pray that those memories will bring us peace as we grapple to understand the unpredictable and tragic ending of his life and the life of Kasandra Perkins.As we attempt to grieve in the aftermath of this tremendous loss we ask that you please respect our privacy in doing so. Only GOD can mend our hearts.”"