Karla Lee, mother of slain Chicago 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee, is under fire for using the money from the GoFundMe account set up to bury her son to buy a new car just five days after he was brutally executed, according to the Beverly-Mt. Greenwood Patch. Tyshawn's mother said he would have wanted her to have the new car, and she bought it because she feared for her life.
More than $17,500 was raised in just four days when a friend of hers set up the GoFundMe account, saying the mother wanted "To Help Me Lay My Baby To Rest." Instead, Lee purchased a new 2015 Chrysler 200.
Lee was hospitalized for shock after she discovered her son's body in an alley on Nov. 2. Chicago police believe that Tyshawn was lured into an alley and shot execution-style due to his father's gang ties, as previously reported by HNGN.
Karla Lee can be seen in profanity-laced Instagram videos she has posted, blasting social media and everyone condemning her mismanagement of the charity, according to Fox News.
In addition, Pierre Stokes, Tyshawn's father, has been selling Tyshawn memorial T-shirts online for between $25 and $45 apiece, also to raise funds to bury his son.
"Used the money to buy a car, rather than either return it or donate it to charity. It was given to her to offset funeral costs and instead she used it to benefit herself," says GoFundMe user Joe Smith.
Karla Lee says her son's funeral will be held at St. Sabina Church, in Auburn-Gresham on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 10 a.m. according to NBC Chicago.
The reward for any information leading to arrest of those involved in killing Tyshawn is now at $54,600.
