Yesterday's news that an individual has come forward to admit that he was driving the vehicle that struck and killed Lanie Kruszewski is a welcome development for those of us at the Henrico Citizen and all who knew and loved Lanie.

Lanie's mother, Patty, is our employee, coworker and friend. Our hearts break for her and for the entire Kruszewski family, as well as for Lanie's boyfriend and the many others who have been touched by her life and by this incident.

We are hopeful that the new developments in this case will begin a process of some closure for the family and those who knew Lanie. We are anxious for justice to be served in this case through the legal system, but the sad reality is that an incident such as this one provides no happy conclusion.

Today, a memorial service at 3 p.m. will celebrate Lanie's life. The service at Maggie L. Walker Governor's School on Lombardy Street in Richmond – from which Lanie graduated as an outstanding scholar and athlete in 2006 – is open to the public.

The loss of a young person just entering the prime of her life is nearly impossible to accept. Lanie was a shining light to so many people, and her passing has provided a glimpse of the way she lived life to many who never knew her.

In the coming weeks and months, we will continue to follow the legal process and do our best to support Patty and the Kruszewski family while remembering Lanie's positive spirit and the curiosity and happiness with which she lived her life every day.

We endeavor to honor Lanie in death by adopting in ourselves the attributes that made her so unique in life. In that sense, she will never truly be gone.

– Tom Lappas, publisher