Couple's three-month-old daughter will be raised with family in Long Island, New York.
Two days after he killed his girlfriend and then himself, the family of Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher is still in shock.
"Right now, we are grieving for Kasandra and Jovan," Belcher's mother, Cheryl Shepherd, told Newsday. "We are in mourning."
Belcher, 25, and Kasandra M. Perkins had a 3-month-old daughter, Zoey Michelle, who will now be raised by her grandmother instead of her mother and father.
Police want to know why, on the morning of Dec. 1, Belcher shot and killed Perkins after arguing with her. He then drove to Arrowhead Stadium, where he thanked general manager Scott Pioli and coach Romeo Crennel. Belcher then fatally shot himself in the parking lot.
Friends say Belcher was upset because Perkins, 22, had gone out the night before to a Trey Songz concert and he didn't want her going out with the newborn at home. A cousin told Newsday that the stress of having a new baby had put a strain on their relationship and the fact that Belcher was away at games or practicing wasn't helping the relationship.
"There was just a lot going on. She was stressed. He was stressed," cousin Angela Perkins said. "It just started to go bad, but they had the child, and they were trying to make it work."
Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs played without their starting linebacker, beating the Carolina Panthers 27-21 and ending an eight-game losing streak.
"It was tough," quarterback Brady Quinn told the Associated Press. "It was an eerie feeling after a win, because you don't think you can really win in this situation."
Police still don't have a motive for the murder-suicide. Funeral arrangements haven't been announced.
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(Photo: KASANDRAPERKINS VIA INSTAGRAM)
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