CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There was an overwhelming show of support Monday for a an Uber driver from Charlotte who was found brutally killed last week in South Carolina.
The funeral service for Marlo Medina-Chevez was filled with family and friends paying their respects.
Medina-Chevez's funeral was at 3 p.m. at Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witness on Hubbard Road.
A somber and difficult occasion for the family turned into an overwhelming show of support at the funeral for Medina-Chevez.
Both auditoriums in the church were full and the crowd spilled outside under the carport.
“This is a difficult time for all of us that has known him for so many years,” said family friend Victor Cruz. “He was a wonderful man."
"He was willing to give you the shirt off his back,” Anvil Hanooman said.
Victor Cruz has known Medina-Chevez for 20 years and delivered the Spanish version of the eulogy.
News of Medina-Chevez's slaying touched many who didn’t know him.
“Because in this brotherhood, we feel like it’s a family, so anytime one of us pass, it’s like a family,” Ernestine Koroma said.
The regional general manager of Uber East Coast is donating $10,000 to the family of Medina-Chevez, a driver for the ride-sharing service who was found slain this past week. The family has raised $38,000 so far.
The medical examiner confirmed the body found Thursday in Rock Hill has been identified as Medina-Chevez.
"He was a kind gentle soul who would never lift a hand against anybody and it's an incomprehensible loss,” Collette Nagy said.
Uber sent the following statement after the body was identified:
“We are devastated by the loss of Marlo Medina-Chevez.Our prayers are with his family and loved ones at this difficult time.”
[PHOTOS: CMPD conducting search for missing Uber driver in Rock Hill]
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Maj. Cam Selvey said investigators developed information that led to a search in a field off Mount Gallant Road in Rock Hill.
Sources told Channel 9 that the body searchers found had been severely beaten and bound.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police are preparing murder, kidnapping and robbery warrants for Diontray Adams and James Stevens. The two were arrested Monday in Maryland after authorities said they were driving Medina-Chevez's SUV.
(James Stevens, Diontray Adams)
Homicide detectives determined that a credit card belonging to Medina-Chevez was used in Maryland.
Last Monday, detectives drove to Maryland to continue their investigation and were notified around 11:50 p.m. that authorities had received a license plate reader hit on Medina-Chevez's 2008 Nissan Pathfinder near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
Police told Channel 9 that they charged Adams and Stevens in connection with the case. Adams, 25, is currently charged with financial credit card fraud along with outstanding Maryland warrants, while Stevens, 20, is currently charged with possession of a stolen vehicle.
The two men are still in jail in Maryland and fighting extradition, according to sources.
Selvey said authorities have not yet determined Medina-Chevez's cause of death.
“We were hoping for the best, planning for the worst and unfortunately we have come across the worst,” Selvey said.
Medina-Chevez had not been seen or heard from since Saturday night when he went out for his Uber shift.
(Medina-Chevez)
Friends and family of Medina-Chevez are remembering him as a great husband, loving father and man of faith.
[Uber driver worked to raise money for family vacation]
“He was a religious man so he would do a lot of volunteer work, Bible classes, talking about his God to other people as well,” friend Louis Maigon said.
[PAST COVERAGE: Friends hand out fliers as search of missing Uber driver continues]
Medina-Chevez was spontaneous and fun, Maigon said.
“He was very loved in the community and he always liked to travel, and some days after service, he would tell his wife Elsa, ‘Let’s go somewhere,’ and Elsa would say, ‘Where do we go?’ And he would say, ‘Who cares? Let’s just go and get lost and just find something new to do,'” Maigon said.
(Click PLAY to watch CMPD's press conference)
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