Authorities are looking into an apparent murder-suicide in New Jersey, where a man allegedly shot and killed his girlfriend and her daughter before killing himself.
Evangelina Velásquez, 10, was with her mother, Claribel Torres, 42, and Fernando Mercado, 42, when Hamilton police officers discovered the three bodies inside Mercado’s home after responding to a 911 call around 4 a.m., NJ.com reported.
The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office reported that all three were pronounced dead at the scene.
“Our community is grieving an unimaginable tragedy involving the untimely deaths of three people, including a 10-year-old girl,” Township Mayor Jeff Martin told NJ.com. “On behalf of Hamilton Township, I extend my prayers to their family members, friends, and neighbors.”
Evangelina’s father, Bladimir Velásquez, told CBS News that two other children were in the house at the time of the shooting but were unharmed.
Bladimir told the outlet that he was already concerned about his daughter’s safety and was awaiting an upcoming court date. “I went to child services for a very long time, and it was always one court after another; they kept rescheduling,” he told me.
Bladimir told CBS that his daughter, a fourth-grade student at Foundation Academy Charter School in Trenton, enjoyed swimming and was always decisive.
“She was always very clever, strong fighter, from when she was born, always active, never stopped moving,” he told the outlet, adding that she knew exactly what she wanted. “If we were in Disneyland and she wanted to take that ride and not this one, no matter what anybody said, she was going to follow her instincts.”
Bladimir started a GoFundMe page to raise money for his 10-year-old daughter’s funeral expenses.
“She was murdered by her stepfather while defending her mother and brothers,” he stated in the post. “Eva was the oldest sister, just starting out, loved by everyone, and will be missed by friends and family, but never forgotten. “I love and miss my baby forever.”
