Media links ***NO DISCUSSION***

Aliahna's family was escorted into the church just minutes before her service started. A couple hundred people attended. Sheriff Ken Fries and a sheriff's deputy were seated in the front row. Fries got very emotional towards the end of the ceremony as people came up to shake his hand, thank him, and offer hugs.

The principal also brought with him an outline of Aliahna's left hand. He says it was part of a collage with other students' hands. Inside, students were asked to write or draw something that illustrated who they are.

Aliahna drew a big smiley face. The eyes were big stars and the mouth was a heart.

Click to expand...

On Friday, attorneys Anthony S. Churchward and Mark A. Thoma were appointed by the Allen County Defender’s Office to represent Michael Len Plumadore, accused of killing Aliahna Lemmon in December.

Churchward has served as a deputy public defender since 2000 and Thoma has been on the public defender’s staff for 18 years.

Click to expand...

She said Plumadore stayed in the Moravia home for several weeks.

“From here, he had a brother from South Carolina come and pick him up and take him to Indiana,” she said.

Plumadore’s route from Iowa to Indiana followed the same path as Aliahna’s family. In Fort Wayne, Plumadore moved into the same trailer park where Aliahna, a 6-year-old sister, a 6-year-old stepsister and Aliahna’s mother and grandfather lived.

Click to expand...

Accused child killer Michael Plumadore made a brief appearance in Allen Superior Court on Monday.

What was supposed to be a pretrial conference to make sure attorneys on both sides would be ready in June for Plumadore’s trial on murder charges was instead rescheduled for next month.

Click to expand...

Meanwhile, prosecutors have made no decision in regard to pursuing the death penalty against Plumadore.

Click to expand...