CUMNOCK, Ayrshire, Scotland — Following an emotional ceremony at Old Cumnock Old Parish Anglican Church in the town center, a funeral procession of around 800 friends, family and well-wishers wound their way through the town of Cumnock to the town’s cemetery, to pay their last respects to 28-year-old Stuart Walker.
Walker was found brutally beaten, burned and left by the side of a road in the early morning hours of Oct. 22 in the Caponacre Industrial area near his home.
Police have since arrested an 18-year-old man, Ryan Esquierdo, in connection with Walker’s murder, but have released few details.
In his eulogy, Vicar the Reverend John Paterson praised Walker’s character, and told the gathering his murder had “devastated the community.”
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“Stuart lived life to the full and everyone who came into contact with him was affected by his love for life,” he said. “He enjoyed socializing and whenever he was out he always charmed his company into getting a dance.”
“[The murder] has devastated his family. But it has also devastated the community as you can see by the turnout today.” Paterson said. “Stuart was very generous in the widest sense of the word. In his time and his spirit and that’s what people will remember him by. The number of people who have stood in support will give great strength to the family.”
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