TAYLOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — The father of a 7-year-old girl who was allegedly killed by her sister opened up to me, letting me know who his daughter was. Her name was Jessie Jane Lilburn.
“Little JJ, Jessie Jane. She was just a ray of sunshine, always wanted to be outside, always riding her bike,” said Jason Lilburn, Jessie Jane's father.
Jason Lilburn’s life was changed forever on Sept. 28. That’s the day Jessie Jane was killed.
“This has been the roughest stretch of my entire life,” Jason Lilburn said. “You never imagine in your worst nightmares something like this to happen.”
Watch our full interview with Jason Lilburn in the video below:
On that fateful day, Jason Lilburn’s 13-year-old daughter was babysitting Jessie Jane while he and his wife were out. Police say the two sisters got into an argument and when it ended, the 13-year-old old allegedly stabbed Jessie Jane multiple times.
“We thought they were just normal sibling arguments,” Jason Lilburn said. “Everybody argues with their little brother, little sisters — it was a normal thing. It never resulted in any violence, any physical altercations other than maybe a push or a shove, but this was totally unexpected.”
Jason Lilburn’s 13-year-old daughter is in custody charged with first-degree premeditated murder as he and his family are trying to pick up the pieces.
There is a memorial outside of the Lilburn home set up to honor Jessie Jane. It’s filled with things she loved like her bicycle.
“How does it make you feel when you come out to see this?” I asked Jason Lilburn.
“Honestly, I get emotional every time seeing this. It really pulls at my heart that she’s not with us anymore and that there’s so much love for her,” Jason Lilburn said.
Jason Lilburn says he wants people to remember Jessie Jane for who she was and not for how she died.
“She loved being out on the boat and swimming and catching frogs and snakes, whatever she could find. Playing with her friends, hanging out with family. Just smiling all the time,” Jason Lilburn added.
“Every night, she would give a 20-minute hug to procrastinate going to sleep, but she gave the best hugs and that’s been the most challenging part to go to sleep a night without her. Her little arms around us.”
The Lilburn family will have a private funeral for Jessie Jane on Saturday.
Since she loved riding her bike, her family is asking people to make donations to the Crazy Sailor Bicycle Foundation, which has been set up in her honor.
