Mourners bear in mind Edward Wilkins, NY man killed by Sean Armstead

Tons of of individuals packed a small upstate funeral house Saturday to recollect Edward Wilkins, who was shot to dying 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 resort for her obvious rendezvous with Wilkins.

Armstead chased after Wilkins on NY-211 and crashed his automobile into the younger man’s. Wilkins received 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,” mentioned a girl 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 passed off on the William M. Gagan Funeral Residence in Pine Bush. Wilkins was mentioned by sources to have labored on the older girl’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 handheld up within the air signaling victory. 

Different pictures confirmed a youthful Wilkins on Little League groups. In a single, he’s carrying a Boston Pink Sox jersey and grinning for the digicam. 

His obituary on the funeral house 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 girl in entrance of his casket whereas hugging a mourner.

A buddy who recognized herself as Amelia referred to as Wilkins “an awesome individual.”

“He by no means did something that he wasn’t presupposed to. He was all the time good to everybody. He was like my brother,” she mentioned, breaking down in tears.