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A life of promise, violently cut off[/size]
By KARL B. HILLE
Examiner Staff Writer Yogi watched as dark-clad and solemn people filtered into the windowed classroom at Brookside Gardens Sunday
Some brought flowers, some pictures, some only memories, struggling to cope with their loss. Some knew the tiny Yorkshire terrier in the designer carrying case; others only knew about him from stories in the newspaper.
Almost all paid homage to Yogi, Emily "Jordan" Cagal's dog, likely the only witness to her murder, pausing on their way in to scratch him behind the ears and rough his silken hair.
"A lot of us have never been in the same room at the same time," said Aaron Perlis, 27. "It's unfortunate that it took something like this to bring us together, but I think she would be really happy."
Cagal, 24, was killed in her apartment March 2, police said, by a man they believe was a one-time boyfriend or bodyguard. Police discovered her body nearly two weeks later in a wooded area near Upper Marlboro.
The disappearance and news of the murder sent shock waves through Cagal's network of friends, who dedicated a Web log to the investigation.
Friends described the art student and dancer through anecdotes, memories and tributes to her strong sense of love and friendship, and a life full of promise.
"She was a young woman just finding out all of what life had to offer," said Derek Goldstein, 24. "She was opening a new chapter in her life."
Cagal had studied visual arts at Montgomery College, and wanted to learn video editing, Goldstein said.
She also talked with her friend about becoming a personal trainer to athletes and buying depressed properties in Baltimore to fix them up.
"Jordan lived more in two years than most people lived in a lifetime," he said.
Goldstein had discovered Yogi alone and uncared for in Cagal's apartment several days after she stopped communicating with friends and family.
He knew something was seriously wrong and contacted police.
Goldstein and other friends said they will maintain the Web log "latest on Jordan" to gather stories and memories about Cagal.
Lee Parker, 37, described Jordan as a fun-loving woman, fierce when slighted but quick to forgive. "There's a reason she couldn't stay mad. Her heart was so full of love there was no room for anger. ... Jordan was the living embodiment of the word love."
After several eulogies, Cagal's friends walked out into the park, pausing at the monument to the victims of the 2002 sniper shootings.
The words engraved on it - "Linger here and reflect on those lost to violence. Hope for a more peaceful world. Seek a reverence for life among all people" - brought solace to Cagal's friends during a light, spraying rain.
Two charged in connection with Cagal's murder
Antoine Levelle Gatewood, 33, of the 3900 block of Norway Lane, Bowie, is being held without bond on one charge of first degree murder in Emily "Jordan" Cagal's death.
Police say Gatewood was clearly shown on security tapes at Cagal's Grosvenor Place condominium walking with Cagal and later with another person.
Gatewood's roommate Dion D. Desir, 24, is being held on $750,000 bond on one charge of accessory after the fact.
Videotapes show the two men carrying out electronic equipment and a "large wicker footlocker" that "appears to be heavy" out of the apartment and into the freight elevator, according to charging documents.
"The lid is partially open and the contents are covered by a maroon-colored material," charging documents state.
Police found Cagal's body March 15 off a wooded stretch off Woodyard Road in Upper Marlboro in a shallow grave near the footlocker.
khille@dcexaminer.com 
