Law & Order: Sunday Gunman's 4 Victims Buried in Montgomery Rites SOURCE: Alexandria Town Talk Sept 14, 1990 Submitted to USGENWEB BY: Kay Thompson - Brown ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** Sunday gunman's 4 victims buried in Montgomery rites by Donna Whitton Faulkner An overcast sky Thursday cast a dreariness over the town of Montgomery, echoing the misery of those attending the funeral of four slain townspeople. "It's depressing weather for a depressing day," said one person attending the funeral services. An occasional drizzle fell on those who couldn't get into the packed First Baptist Church which held four coffins with the bodies of Town Councilman Kermit Allen 67; his brother-in-law Thomas H. Silman, 80; Silman's daughter, Carolyn Silman Lewis, 33 and her husband, James Lewis Jr. 40. The four were killed Sunday in a shooting rampage at Silman's home in Montgomery by the hand of Silman's son, Thomas Wilson Silman, 41. The coffins of the four dead were laid end to end in the front of the church chapel surrounded by rows of flower arrangements. Mourners, numbering nearly 300 , filled every church pew, with some standing in the back to hear the service and many others remaining outside. The eulogy delivered by the Rev. Rick Henson was simple. He told the survivors that they had done nothing to bring the tragedy upon themselves. "This happened because of the choice of one person who chose to disobey God's commandment thou shalt not kill," Henson said. He then likened the trials of surviving family members to those experienced by the biblical Job. He encouraged the family to, like Job, hold onto its faith and not to be overcome by the bitterness of the violence that took their loved ones. Henson acknowledged that the pain of the killings will never go away, but life will go on. Burial followed in Union Grove Cemetery just outside of Montgomery. The services were concluded within an hour and 15 minutes. Silman, who remains in the Grant Parish Jail charged with four counts of first - degree murder and six counts of attempted first - degree murder, did not attend the services. His case is expected to be presented to a parish grand jury on Tuesday. Silman, who lived with his parents, allegedly shot his father, sister and brother-in-law just before the family was to have dinner Sunday celebrating the elder Silman's 80th birthday. Authorities have said the shooting was sparked by Silman's rage that his sister had married her cousin. The two had been married a little over a year, and Sunday was to have been Carolyn's first visit home since her marriage. Although she and her husband were living in Robeline at the time of the shooting, they both had grown up in Montgomery. Allen was killed when he went to the Silman house to investigate gunshots fired there. Three others, Montgomery Police Officer Dan Fletcher, Grant Deputy John Rollins and a neighbor, Frances Dalme, were wounded by gunfire from the Silman home after the killings. Rollins and Ms. Dalme are recuperating from their injuries at home. Fletcher, who was shot in the face with a shotgun, remains in Rapides General Hospital, Alexandria, in stable condition.