LAWRENCE, Mass. — Hundreds of people gathered at a vigil for 16-year-old Lee Manual Viloria-Paulino Tuesday night, nearly a week after his body was found along the banks of the Merrimack River.
Lee’s body was decapitated when it was found, and police weren’t able to identify him for more than a day. Over the weekend, a 15-year-old classmate was arrested and charged with murder.
“He was always active. Never in a bad mood. Always positive,” Lee’s friend Franchely Lopez said.
“They’re feeling devastated," family friend Teresa Colome said.
Family members had reported Lee missing on Nov. 18, and say they feel like police didn’t take the case seriously at first.
Formal and informal meetings are being held across the city in the wake of the murder to address violence in the city.