Family and friends gathered in Connecticut to say goodbye to 12-year-old Brigid Curtin
The funeral for Brigid Curtin, who died after being stabbed by her twin brother last month, was held in Hartford, Connecticut over the weekend.
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On December 17, 12-year-old Brigid Maire Curtin was fatally stabbed, allegedly by her twin brother, in their West Hartford, Connecticut home. Brigid’s mother Janemarie Murphy, 56, was also stabbed and is currently undergoing rehabilitation for her injuries.
A family friend said the events were “an unspeakable tragedy.”
Due to his age, the name of the suspect has not been released. The suspect, who is being held in a juvenile facility, has reportedly been charged with one count of murder with special circumstance, and one count of first-degree assault.
If convicted of his crimes, he could face either probation under supervision or admittance to a psychiatric facility.
On January 12 - just days before Brigid's 13th birthday - friends and family gathered at St. Patrick- St. Anthony Church in Hartford to pay their final respects to the beloved Irish American girl.
Family spokesperson Chuck Coursey told reporters after the mass: "Today they celebrated a beautiful mass to honor their dear daughter, Brigid. Her wonderful life - all too brief life - that touched so many."
He added that the Curtin-Murphy family "was also touched and moved by Brigid's teammates and classmates who came to the service today to pay their respects to their cherished friend."
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Now, a community mourns and remembers what, by most accounts, were an exceptionally kind young girl.
Speaking with the Hartford Courant, Brigid’s sixth-grade teacher Tom Lucey fondly remembers his former student: “She was always smiling, always happy and when I say joyful, I mean that she found joy in everything and she found joy in someone else’s joy.”
“She was unbelievable that one,” Lucey added, “she really was terrific, just joyful. … Like, dictionary — joyful, picture of Brigie.”
Matt Kalinowski, a longtime camp counselor at Brigid’s beloved Westmoor Park, said of Curtin: “She was just one of those people that never let anything get to her. If anything happened she would brush it off and remove herself from the situation. … We kinda called her like the mom of the group.”
In lieu of flowers, Brigid’s family has requested that donations be offered to The Westmoor Park fund at 119 Flagg Road, West Hartford, CT 06117.
Jennifer Bertagna, whose daughter was a lifelong best friend of Brigid’s, said: “She was a kid that smiled about everything.”
“I never saw her angry about anything or anyone. Never got upset, never argued with her classmates. There’s that girl-angst that floats around at that age and she was never part of that. … If things didn’t go well, or someone wasn’t nice, there was always Brigid.”
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Tim Gibson coached Curtin in the West Hartford’s Girls Travel Soccer league. “When a game was intense and she needed to be focused, she was calm and collective and poised but totally in the game,” Gibson said. “Not an arrogance, just a real understanding of the game.”
Gibson added that the soccer league has plans to memorialize the young soccer player. Teammates will don her number 40 on their jerseys in upcoming matches, and talks of retiring Brigid’s number, or hosting a memorial tournament are ongoing.
At Sedgewick Middle School, where Brigid was a very involved and active seventh-grader, the administration has offered support services to students affected by the tragedy. Banning together to remember their classmate, students have taken to wearing face paint in Brigid’s favorite color of blue and offering random acts of kindness.
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