HARTFORD--A family is making a public plea after a brutal slaying for victims of domestic violence to seek help.
Luz Nieves, 45, was murdered in her Hartford apartment by an ex-boyfriend. Nieves was found after she didn't show up for work at Travelers Insurance and co-workers got worried.
Nieves leaves behind a daughter and granddaughter, as well as her brother and parents.
According to a warrant, Alex Baez Fran-Kwee, 40, confessed to police that he'd been smoking crack cocaine when he stabbed Nieves to death. He is being held on $2 million bond and is charged with murder.
According to the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Nieves' death was the 12th this year in Connecticut involving intimate partner violence. Her death was also the 15th homicide in Hartford this year.
Ashley Trochez, Nieves' daughter, is hoping something good can come out of her mother's death. "Please, if anybody is watching this and is going through this look at my face. You don't want anybody going through this. Say something. Say something and if you know somebody is going through pain or hurt or is being abused say something."
Nieves' mother had a similar sentiment to convey: "If there is a young lady, a woman going through this, please, talk. Tell somebody. Don't go through that. Don't let him do that to you."
If you or anyone you know needs help, please call the 24-hour, toll-free Connecticut domestic violence hotline at 888-774-2900, or if you're in Hartford you can call the Interval House directly at 860-527-0550.
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