Detroit woman strangled to death by her fiancé 2 weeks after he proposed, prosecutors say
(CBS DETROIT) - For Kaiya Smith, there was no better mother in the world than her mother, 48-year-old Stacey Smith.
"My mom was a great person," she said. "Very giving to everyone around her."
Smith was also described as caring and loving. Her tragic murder is something her mother, Gwen Butler, will never understand.
"I'm not sure if I'm ready to admit that she's not here. This is unreal. Unreal," she said.
"She did not deserve this," added Dawn Patterson, Smith's sister.
Smith's family is in disbelief over the murder and more so because of the person investigators believe committed the crime.
The Wayne County Prosecutor's office charged her fiancé, Cortez Coleman, for her murder. He's accused of strangling her to death.
The incident happened on June 9 in the 20300 block of Berg Road in Detroit. Prosecutors say Coleman stabbed Smith in the chest and burned her leg before fleeing the scene.
Coleman appeared before a judge for the first time Thursday and was arraigned on first-degree murder.
Smith's family says they were unaware if their relationship became violent.
They say Smith was happy and that Coleman proposed just two weeks ago.
"The last time I spoke to my mom was before she dropped me off for work. Before that, we were all together, and they were having a disagreement and argument. Something little. …I didn't think I would come home and not be able to talk to my mom," Kaiya Smith said.
The family says they didn't know Coleman well, but they never thought he was capable of killing Smith. They say the pain of losing her will never heal.
Patterson also says she can't wait to see him in court and ask him, 'Why?'
"Even if he don't say anything. If he just stand there, I want him to know how I feel. I want to tell him what he took," she said.
"I want him to know what he did was unforgivable, and he really tremendously impacted my life in such a negative way. Me and my brother and just the rest of my family," Kaiya Smith said.
Coleman was denied bond and will remain in jail until the outcome of his case.