New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
‘Heartbroken, very heartbroken’
Family, friends remember slain mother of 2
NEW HAVEN — Alessia Mesquita was a friendly, goofy, loving young woman; the “mama bear” of her family.
She was one of eight children and a mother of two herself. She was, in her mother’s eyes, “the most beautiful person, inside and out.”
Mesquita was fatally shot this week. She was 28. The father of her younger child, Rashod Akeem Newton, 27, of Wallingford, was arrested Monday and charged with Mesquita’s death, as well as criminal possession of a firearm and risk of injury to a child.
But family and friends of Mesquita gathered at the intersection of Clifton and Lenox streets to honor her life and offer support to her grieving loved ones at a candlelight vigil.
Sandra Mesquita, Alessia’s mother, said her daughter was “goofy, funloving, funny.” They called her “two of eight,” referencing her siblings, she said.
“I’m happy that my daughter was a good human being, and she died a good human being. She died a good-hearted person,” said Mesquita.
Erika Torres and Tanairy Velia, her cousins, said Mesquita was hard-working and friendly. She worked as as a certified nursing aide, Velia said.
She was all about her children, Torres said.
“(I’m) heartbroken, very heartbroken,” said Velia.
“It hit us very hard.”
Xiomairaliz Ayala said she was Mesquita’s best friend. They had been together shortly before Mesquita was killed, she said — Ayala had thanked her for getting her out of the house and out of the emotional hole she was in.
Mesquita was funny and full of life, Ayala said — an uplifting person by nature, she carried good vibes with her. One of her favorite words was “fluffy,” which she used to describe something particularly cool.
“That’s my best friend,” said Ayala. “That’s my friend to the end. That’s my friend to the end.”
Maria Rodriguez, Mesquita’s aunt, said her niece was fun to be around. They would go out and spend the day together regularly; she was a big part of family events.
“(Mesquita) would leave her plate and give it to you,” said Rodriguez. “I’m very devastated.”
Patricia Kane said she had witnessed the shooting; she lives just up the block. It felt right to be there honoring Mesquita, she said.
“You want to bear witness at a moment like this,” said Kane.
Kane questioned the state of society. Collectively, society spends a great deal of money to thwart terrorism, she noted, but couldn’t protect this young woman.
“Domestic violence is almost too tame” (a phrase) said Kane. “Where’s the money ... to protect women like Alessia?”
Newton was in a relationship with Mesquita, according to police and Mesquita’s family.
As she addressed those in attendance Thursday, Sandra Mesquita said she believed her daughter’s life could serve as an example, asking the crowd to keep an eye out for loved ones who may be suffering from domestic abuse or violence.
She thanked police for their swift work to make an arrest; she called for justice and said she would work toward it. She expressed her ire at Newton, noting he could have walked away instead of allegedly shooting her daughter, and shared her anger and pain at the loss of her daughter.
“What I want you guys to take from this event today is to kiss your children and your family often. Tell them you love them, even when you’re mad at them, because you never know when it’s going to be the last time you see them,” said Mesquita.
During the gathering, a group of motorcyclists came roaring up the block. They were friends of hers, Sandra Mesquita said — through the noise, the world would know her daughter was loved.
At the end of the evening, as night fell, the group gathered to release balloons. Sandra Mesquita wept, saying she would live the rest of her life in an effort to keep her daughter’s memory alive.
With a final call of love, the group let the balloons float skyward.
They might not reach heaven, Sandra Mesquita said. But they were headed that way.