Family of murdered woman urges domestic violence victims to talk to loved ones before it's too late
An undocumented mother of four was shot and killed in her home on Durham court in the Montbello neighborhood in Denver on Feb. 24. Family members say she was on the couch with her grandson when her boyfriend at the time, Clemente Flores Hernandez walked in and began to shoot her. She was shot multiple times.
Her son, Miguel heard the gunshots and quickly ran to try to fight him off, but he then drove off on I-70 eastbound with his son.
Eventually, after calling police, they were able to capture the suspect and reunite Miguel with his son. But, his mother, Karol Bedoya did not make it. The suspect, Hernandez, is now set to face first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and kidnapping charges.
On Wednesday, the family attended a funeral service at Tabor Funeral Home in Brighton where family and friends gathered to grieve the loss of Karol Bedoya. She leaves behind four kids, three of them minors.
Their message to the community is don't be afraid to speak out. Holding back tears, her son Christian Hernandez expressed sadness.
"I wish she was still here with us; I wish she would have spoken up," said Hernandez.
It was a somber day for the family of Karol Bedoya - after she was allegedly murdered by her boyfriend more than a week ago in the Montbello neighborhood.
Her son Nhoe Hernandez said his mom was very quiet about her personal life.
"She will always say she will be OK but in reality, she wasn't," said Hernandez.
Her sons say they never saw the signs--their mother was always strong in front of them. Now their aunt will be taking care of them.
Christian expressed, it's going to be different.
"It is going to be different without my mom calling me to say good morning, goodnight, stuff like that..." expressed Hernandez.
Sylvia Gamboa with Servicios de la Raza says it's typical for victims of domestic violence to be afraid of backlash, but even more when they are undocumented.
"If they don't have legal status in the country they feel like they can't report it because they will get deported, they don't feel like they have a right or that they will lose their children," expressed Gamboa.
She says this is why they make it a priority to serve all, but specifically the undocumented community-- they see up to 1,000 new cases every year.
"Domestic violence is such a vicious cycle and a lot of people think it's behind doors and it's a problem between two people, but it is not - it's a whole community problem so we don't want victims to feel shamed, we are here help them with open arms," said Gamboa. She said don't be afraid to speak out, they have resources that can help people.
Her sons hope to give others the courage to do so through her memory.
"If you're scared to reach out to people if you need to talk, let it out," said Nhoe Hernandez.
A benefit concert to help out with the funeral expenses and the family is set for Friday, March 10 at 7 p.m. located at 5660 W. Colfax Ave. in Lakewood.