Victim slain in random TTC attack laid to rest

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A funeral was held Friday for a woman who was stabbed to death in a random attack at High Park subway station last week.

Vanessa Kurpiewska, 31, of Toronto, was pronounced dead at hospital on Dec. 8 shortly after she and another woman were stabbed at the TTC station west of Keele and Bloor Sts.

A mass was held for Kurpiewska in Polish at St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish in Mississauga.

About 30 mourners paid their respects at the service.

Kurpiewska’s white cloth draped casket was brought into the church followed by a dozen teary-eyed family members.

Kurpiewska’s mother, Dorota Kurpiewska, recently told Global TV that her daughter was a beautiful and happy woman who had overcome major obstacles in life.

The heartbroken mom said her only child was born with cerebral palsy and spent much of her childhood in a wheelchair but learned to walk unaided by the time she was 12.

Dorota Kurpiewska described her daughter as cautious and someone who would avoid conflict.

“Public transportation is supposed to be safe,” she said. “I would have never thought in a million years that (Vanessa) would die like this.”

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Neng Jia Jin, 52, of Toronto, is charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder after stabbing the two woman.

One witness to the violence at High Park station has described seeing a man armed with what appeared to be an icepick.

The other victim, a 37-year-old woman, was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and released from hospital.

The accused and victims were not known to each other.