GARY, Ind. — The grave of a northern Indiana boy beaten to death after being kept in a dog cage is finally marked by a gravestone.
Relatives of Christian Choate’s mother gathered Friday with others at Gary’s Ridgelawn Cemetery to pay their respects to the boy and celebrate the installation of his gravestone.
Patricia Breslin, of Arlington, spent a year collecting donations to pay for the $2,000 headstone. She told the Post-Tribune that when she first read an online story about Christian’s tragic 2009 death and saw a photo of his sad eyes it broke her heart.
Christian’s maternal grandfather, Bernard Eriks, says he’s “elated” by Breslin’s generosity. At his family’s request, the marker bears the name Christian Eriks.
The 13-year-old boy’s father and stepmom were convicted in his killing.
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