WATERFORD -- It was a tough day for Phil Rodriguez.
"It's terrible," he says. "I just can't believe it's real.
His stepdaughter, 25-year-old Corina Rodriguez was taken too soon.
"Her mom, Heather, she can't sleep. It's just devastating," says Rodriguez.
On Monday night Corina was found stabbed to death inside an East Lyme motel. Later on, police arrested 28-year-old Avery Hallbrooks who police say was Carina's boyfriend.
Friday night, friends and family lit candles for Corina all while remembering the kind of person she was.
Someone that I knew, someone that I hung out with in school and out of school. It's too close to home," says John Sepuoveda, a former classmate of Corina.
Between sharing stories about Corina's past was a message underlining how to prevent a tragedy like this moving forward.
Rodriguez took time to speak about the dangers of domestic violence. He asked people to always speak up in any questionable situation.
Hallbrooks is being held under a $2 million dollar bond.