*On Wednesday, Michelle and Barack Obama shared an Instagram post announcing a new memorial garden at The Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. The garden will honor Hadiya Pendleton, an honor roll student who tragically lost her life in 2013, just days after performing at Barack’s second inauguration.
We reported earlier that Pendleton had just taken her final exams at the King College Prep High School and was walking home when she and another classmate took cover from the rain at a nearby park. That’s where prosecutors said, Micheail Ward, got out of a car driven by Kenneth Williams and opened fire at who he thought were rival gang members.
“She was 15 years old. She loved Fig Newtons and lip gloss. She was a majorette. She was so good to her friends, they all thought they were her best friend,” Obama said during his State of the Union address in 2013.
“Just three weeks ago, she was here, in Washington, with her classmates, performing for her country at my inauguration. And a week later, she was shot and killed in a Chicago park after school, just a mile away from my house,” the former president continued, NBC News reported,
Ward was found guilty of killing Pendleton and sentenced in 2019 to 84 years in prison. Williams was found guilty and sentenced to 42 years in prison.
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“Kenneth Williams is equally responsible for the physical death of our daughter, the death of her dreams and the generational death of her children and grandchildren,” said Pendleton’s mother, Cleopatra Crowley, in her victim impact statement.
The Obamas are honoring Pendleton’s memory by dedicating a space to celebrate her life. This announcement comes amid rumors about their relationship, with some speculating that the couple is living separately and headed for divorce.
“We’ve heard that for a long time, like I just heard that they live separate lives,” said Puck reporter Tara Palmieri.
Meghan McCain also speculated on the state of their marriage.
“I have been hearing this rumor that the Obamas are getting a divorce by reputable people,” McCain said, per The Daily Beast. “I’m not talking about TMZ. I’m not talking about Perez Hilton… I’m talking about like very serious journalists telling me that they’re hearing that the Obama divorce rumors are true.”
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