The details of this mother's death is awful, and we've learned she and her boyfriend have a history of domestic violence. Now her family says they hope others in similar situations will just get out instead. Meanwhile, a memorial in her honor keeps growing.
Pedro Chavez still can't believe his little sister is gone.
"There's so much grief, so much anger. We miss her a lot," he said.
Melissa Chavez was the one who took pride in getting the family together for birthdays and holidays. She was a strong mother-of-four that includes Steven, who's just two months old.
"She was supporting all four of those boys," Pedro said.
Early Monday morning, the news couldn't be worse.
"Like a never-ending nightmare," Pedro said.
Melissa's boyfriend Jessie Blanco is charged with her murder. Police believe during a fight, he choked her, hit her with a crow bar and ran over her as many as 15 times at T.C. Jester Park.
And if true, this wasn't the first time, Blanco had been violent.
"We always told her he wasn't going to change, it was no good. She was too good for him," Pedro said.
In fact, Blanco served time for assaulting Melissa in 2008 and threatening Pedro with a gun two years earlier. But they never expected this.
"Not like this, she didn't deserve it," Pedro said.
Her mother, who raised six children, hopes now to raise Melissa's four. She feels nothing for their father.
"If a judge asks me, 'What do you want to do to him?' I'm going to say, 'You know what? You do the same thing he do with my daughter," Maria Chavez said.
Blanco remains in jail with a lot of time to think.
"I hope he feels bad for the kids left without a mother and now a father," Pedro said.
Blanco is being held on a $100,000 bond.
There will be a BBQ benefit to help the family with funeral costs at 1pm Saturday at Buffalo Fred's Icehouse, 2708 N. Shepherd.
___________________________________________________________
Take ABC13 with you!
Download our free apps for iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberry devices
