SALT LAKE CITY — Esperanza Chavez was one of eight siblings; she had a huge love for family and a passion for food. Her mom, Jontue Chavez, described her as a wild child with an unforgettable smile.
"She was so fierce, such a bright personality, and her smile lit up the room. She always had something funny to say," Jontue said.
At 24 years old, Esperanza's life was taken from her. She was found dead with a gunshot wound near a dumpster in Millcreek early Saturday morning.
"He just left her there on the side of a trashcan like a piece of trash, and just left her body there in the cold all night to be there by herself, in the freezing cold, dead," Jontue said.
Esperanza's ex-boyfriend, Fred Edwards, was arrested for murder, obstruction of justice, and abuse or desecration of a human body. He's currently being held without bail. Jontue says when the detectives arrived at her home Saturday afternoon, she was in shock.
"My instant reaction was: 'Did he kill her?' and the detective was like, 'What do you mean he?' and it was my greatest fear coming true," Jontue said. "I screamed and cried and bawled."
Jontue and police say Saturday was the culmination of a long history of domestic violence between Esperanza and the suspect. Jontue remembers multiple incidents — one resulting in a domestic violence case that is still open.
"I was at home and my cousin called me and said, 'I have Esperanza on the phone, she's screaming bloody murder and they're driving down the street and he's choking her she's beating her,'" Jontue said.
Court documents show Edwards was charged with three counts of assault and one count of attempted mayhem from last year's incident Jontue described. Court records show bond was posted, a pre-trial protective order was issued, and the case is still open with a scheduling conference set for Feb. 9. Jontue says she feels like she tried everything to get her daughter away from Edwards permanently.
"I just wish there was so much more out there for domestic violence victims, so they had more help in getting away and had more support in the process," Jontue said. "A lot of times a domestic violence victim doesn't dare to share, doesn't dare to get away, whether they have kids, or it's the only thing they know, so they're like, 'How do I leave? What do I do?'"
Jontue says Esperanza was planning to start a new life in Oregon the day after she was killed.
"We were leaving to Oregon for her to finally get away from him, and if we had just made it one more day, maybe we'd still have her," Jontue said.
Now as she struggles to think of a future without her mini-me, Jontue hopes justice will be served and wants to remind people violence is not love.
"He took a piece of all of our lives away, and we'll never get that back. She'll never be able to have babies," Jontue said. "He took her future."
Jontue hopes to begin working further in domestic violence advocacy for victims and their families in honor of her daughter.
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help raise money for Esperanza's funeral and other expenses.
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Domestic violence victim resources (free, 24/7, confidential):
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition:
- Hotline: 1-800-897-LINK (5465)
- Online help: udvc.org
- National Domestic Violence Hotline
- 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
- Online live chat: thehotline.org
- If you or someone else is in immediate danger, or in an emergency, call 9-1-1 immediately.
