Few events are as hard to cover as funerals

And yet, we need to remind our readers that those who get killed are somebody's son, somebody's daughter. A human being whose life was taken unfairly. Capriciously. Maliciously. That's what my colleague and friend Julia Reynolds wants me to remember. She was a lot more than just another statistic, the 13th homicide in Monterey County so far this year.

So I tiptoed my way into Maria de Jesus Ambriz Reyes viewing today. It's so difficult to pry into somebody's grief. But I do it, partially because I know Julia's right: somebody out there killed this child, and this person needs to be reminded of his terrible deed. He needs to know Maria's parents are grieving, a whole school's crying.

Hopefully, the culprit will be caught and made answer for this injustice.