Rosa Perez / Family Photo
BY SAFIYA MERCHANT
Homicide Watch Chicago
Rosa Maria Perez was a loving mother who took her daughter to and from school, family said.
That all changed last Thursday, when Perez was found stabbed to death inside her home in the 2200 block of South Sacramento Avenue, authorities said.
Prosecutors claim Perez’ boyfriend, Aaron Mejia, stabbed her to death last Wednesday and hid her body in a closet. Police discovered the body about 10 a.m. Thursday at the apartment they shared on Sacramento Avenue, authorities said.
Perez, 27, did not live with her 12-year-old daughter, but family members said the two were “very close” and Perez would take the girl to and from Our Lady of Tepeyac School.
The girl was “devastated” when she learned of her mother’s death, family said. She was crying and saying, “You’re lying. Mom is going to pick me up [from school].”
Perez’ family gathered at the Little Village neighborhood school to share their memories.
Perez grew up in Chicago and attended Farragut Career Academy, where she played volleyball, her mother, Juanita Guerrero said. She was currently working as an assistant at a West Side clinic.
She enjoyed bowling, roller skating and going to dinner with her friends -- especially going out for tacos, Guerrero said.
“She was very happy,” Guerrero said. “She got along with a lot of people. Very outgoing.”
Her family said Perez, who often wore jeans and heels, could walk into a room and fit in with any crowd -- often giving out hugs and telling jokes.
“She always had a smile on her face, she was always happy,” said Perez’ aunt, Maria Guerrero.
Perez began dating Mejia about three years ago, her family said. Prosecutors claim Mejia, 19, admitted to a family member that he killed Perez and told authorities where to find the knife. On Monday, Judge Donald Panarese ordered him held on $1.5 million bond.
The Perez family wrote the following poem in her honor:
Poem For Rosa Perez
“Rosa was young vibrant, full of life – words can not explain what he took from us. It breaks my heart to imagine life without her. This is senseless and unimaginable for us. The worst part of it all is that this is just the beginning for us. Life is never going to be the same without her. He took our heart. Please pray 4 her. May she rest in peace.”
In addition to her daughter, Perez is survived by three brothers, a sister and an extended family.
Funeral arrangements are pending, and family members are asking anybody who wants to help with the cost to send money to Chase Bank account number 527650696 with routing number 071000013.
-- Contributing: Michael Lansu, Homicide Watch Chicago Editor