Last Updated on June 4, 2019 by CCAR Staff
Hundreds of people gathered Monday, June 3, to honor the memory of a 15-year-old Murrieta girl killed in a Temecula crash involving an alleged drunken driver Saturday, just weeks before the teen planned to do missionary work in Ethiopia.
All were welcome to attend a memorial at the Calvary Murrieta High School softball field to celebrate the life of 15-year-old Lily Kelly Harrison, said her aunt Kim Zember. She said relatives hoped inviting people to learn about the high school freshman, whose life was cut tragically short, might inspire others to be more conscious of their choices.
“This isn’t about pointing the finger,” said Zember. “This has to be a wake-up call, not just about drunk driving, but about mindfulness, and how our actions impact others.”
The Riverside County Coroner’s office confirmed Monday that Lily died on Rancho California Road at about 6:20 p.m Saturday. She had left a party early, and was on her way home with two friends when an oncoming vehicle veered into the path of the sedan she was riding in, Zember said. She sat in the front passenger seat, and suffered traumatic blunt force injuries, the California Highway Patrol said. Six other people were hurt.
The driver of the vehicle that lost control, Jose A. Zazueta, 19, of Fallbrook, was later arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and vehicular manslaughter. He was held Monday at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta in lieu of $75,000 bail.
Since the crash, Harrison’s family has turned to their faith for comfort and guidance, said Zember. She said they were praying for Zazueta, while mourning Lily’s death.
Zember described her niece as a devout christian, and said she didn’t drink or date. The Calvary Murrieta High freshman was planning to travel to Ethiopia at the end of June with a group of about 20 young people to do missionary work at a refugee camp. She was also a talented singer who had been leading songs at Calvary Murrieta church services.
“She made a clear distinction between a singer and a worshiper, and she was a worshiper,” said Zember. “But, as much as she could sing, she could not dance. We used to joke with her and say ‘God can only overfill a person with a certain amount of talent.’”
The teen wrote and recorded a Christian folk song at the end of 2018 titled “I Am.” On Monday, her family released a YouTube video of her performing the song.
