800 Attend Rites for Boy Dragged, Killed

About 800 people packed a church in Independence, Mo., to say goodbye to a 6-year-old boy who was dragged to his death after his mother’s car was stolen. Mourners at St. Mark’s Catholic Church dabbed their eyes as slides were shown of Jake Robel--from when he was an infant to a recent Halloween outing when he dressed up as a werewolf. “Jake has been described as a constant ball of energy, a bright light always shining,” Father Kevin Cameron told mourners. The mother, Christy Robel, had stopped Tuesday at a shop in Independence, leaving Jake in her vehicle, which was then stolen by a man who tried to shove Jake out. Jake became tangled in the seat belt outside. He was dragged about five miles at speeds of more than 80 mph. The ordeal ended when motorists surrounded the vehicle, then subdued the man and waited for police. Kim L. Davis, 34, was charged with second-degree murder, second-degree robbery, child abuse and kidnapping. He was being held without bail.