The joy of receiving an excellent Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) result was overshadowed by heartbreak for the family of murder victim Rajkumar Pope, as he was missing from one of the most important moments of his daughter’s life.“He would have been proud of her,” the grieving mother said to the Express in an interview yesterday, as she reflected on her daughter’s achievement, her voice breaking with emotion. “He would have been so happy.”Pope was killed just hours after his daughter sat the SEA examination on March 26.The 45-year-old father of two died hours after being beaten during an altercation at a shop in his community of Friendship Village, Golconda, near San Fernando.According to reports, Pope and his family had spent the day together, having earlier picked up their daughter after she wrote the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) examination. The family later collected their 17-year-old son and visited malls in San Fernando before heading home.Around 6.25 p.m., they stopped at a shop to purchase bread when the incident occurred.Security camera footage, which has since circulated on social media, shows a teenager and a man inside the shop, holding an infant. The video captures the teenager pacing near the counter while the older man completed purchases.Moments later, Pope entered the establishment and as he walked past the teenager, he was suddenly attacked, and blows were exchanged.After several seconds, the altercation ended and Pope exited the shop.Pope returned to his home and later that night, he collapsed and the paramedics were called.He died around 9.30 p.m. at the San Fernando General Hospital.A post-mortem found that Pope, who worked at the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries as a supervisor in the engineering department, died of blunt force trauma and heart issues.A 17-year-old boy was charged with the murder of Pope, appeared in court and was remanded in prison while awaiting trial.Pope’s wife, Annie, told the Express yesterday that the family has been doing its best to cope since his death, but admitted that the weeks following the tragedy have been especially difficult.She said her family is trying to celebrate her daughter’s success while navigating the immense grief left by Pope’s absence.The month of June, Annie said, was particularly painful, as it was the family’s first Father’s Day without him. That week would have also marked their wedding anniversary.She said, however, that amid their grief came another proud moment that week during their daughter’s graduation from Jordan Hill Presbyterian School in Princes Town. She was named valedictorian of her graduating class.While the accomplishment brought joy and smiles, it also underscored the void left by the man who had always encouraged her to work hard and dream big.“Her daddy was her biggest supporter,” her mother said. “He should have been there to see her receive that honour. He would have been so proud.”That feeling returned when the SEA results were released, said Annie, as her husband always took a keen interest in his children’s education.“His children’s education was very important. He’s not here, but she has his blessings and he will always be with her. I told her no matter what, he will always be there with you and he will be rooting for you. He knew she worked very hard and that she would do well. He was looking forward to her continuing on her journey into secondary school,” said the mother.“She is excited to start her new school and make new friends. She would have had her daddy’s blessing going forward. The last thing he told her was that day was that he was proud of her,” she said.