Family suspects boyfriend in woman's murder in north Houston

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- In front of the modest north side bungalow where Consuelo Pena lived for 27 years, her children are overcome with grief.

"Terrible," sobbed Irene Rodriguez through her tears. "We lost our mom! There's nothing to replace her."

This past Saturday morning, Rodriguez and her siblings found their mother dead. They say she was stabbed in her own home with a kitchen knife. Immediately, family and friends suspected Pena's boyfriend.

"She was telling me she was scared of him," said neighbor Virginia Torres, who calls Pena a close friend. "She had this feeling that he was going to do something and he already threatened her and her life was in jeopardy."

Even though Pena confided in Torres, her children said their mother never wanted to tell them about the alleged abuse. Eyewitness News is not identifying the boyfriend because he has not been charged in the case.

"She wasn't going to tell us anything where we take action and put our lives in danger," said son Marcus Trejo.

Relatives confirm Pena went with one of her sisters to try to file a restraining order against the boyfriend last week. However, a language barrier and confusion over the process kept them from completing the filing process.

Witness say they saw the boyfriend leave Pena's home early Saturday morning, driving his car away at a high rate of speed. In addition, his employer confirmed to Eyewitness News he has met with homicide detectives. The employer says the boyfriend has not shown up for work the past several days, and still has an employer's cell phone.

Pena's children worry the boyfriend may already be in Mexico, making finding him a challenge.

"I hope that they find him, catch him, and bring him back to justice, how it suppose to be," says daughter Rodriguez.