Kelli was found stabbed multiple times at her home in Indian Head Park on Oct. 27. Police believe she walked in on a burglary when she returned home from Lyons Township High School, where she was a freshman.



Last week, another man was questioned in connection with the slaying. That man had been charged in September with another burglary in the area but was later released due to lack of probable cause.



He was taken into custody a second time after Kelli's body was found. He was not charged in the teen's slaying, but the original burglary charge was reinstated and he is currently in Cook County Jail.



Wednesday morning, friends and family members gathered at Hallowell & James Funeral Home to pay their respects. Their arms crossed or their hands plunged deep into their pockets, young people huddled in small groups. They exchanged hugs and occasionally fixed their gazes on the TV cameras pointed at them from across the street.



A friend of her family fondly recalled "tennis crazy" 14-year-old as he struggled to cope with her death.



"She had these big, bright sparkling eyes," said Richard Roderick. "To have something like this happen ... there are no words."



Roderick said Kelli lit up a room when she walked in.



A regular tennis partner of Kelli's father, Roderick said he frequently ran into her at a racquet club where the O'Laughlins are members. He remembered seeing her always with "her two best friends" in hand -- a cellphone and a tennis racket.



"I watched Kelli beat her dad (at tennis)," he said, smiling and shaking his head. "We just hope and pray for a logical conclusion."



Earlier Wednesday John O'Laughlin, the father of the slain teen, released a statement in which he expressed his family's gratitude to the community.



"We are truly overwhelmed and touched by the outpouring of support we have received from the community and all those who knew and loved Kelli," he said. "We are so grateful to everyone who has offered their support and condolences in this difficult time."



He also thanked police for their efforts in searching for the person responsible for his daughter's death. Authorities have pursued more than 100 leads in the case, but so far have not been able to identify and apprehend a suspect.



The visitation for Kelli will continue from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday. A funeral Mass will take place at 9:45 a.m. Friday at St. John of the Cross Church, 5005 Wolf Road, Western Springs.





Matt Walberg contributed.