The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Friends of slain woman set up 2 GoFundMe accounts for family
MIDDLETOWN — Community members are working to to help the family of the Green Street woman who lost her life Monday following a fatal stabbing.
Middletown High School ELS interventionist Louis Vollono set up a GoFundMe page this week, “For the Benefit of the BurrussBigaud” children to raise funds for a college fund to pay for the education of Quanisha Burruss’ children.
Burruss was the victim of domestic violence, police said. The suspect, William Bigaud, 37, was captured in Georgia Wednesday, and will be charged with murder, according to Middletown police.
By Friday afternoon, Vollono’s drive had collected $470 of its $50,000 goal.
A second fundraiser, “Quanisha ‘Nisha’ Burruss & Family,” on the same platform, was set up this week by Burruss’ good friend and neighbor, Middletown Planning and Zoning Alternate Commissioner Shanay Fulton. It had garnered nearly $10,000 of its $15,000 goal by Friday afternoon.
“She was a loving mother, friend and hard worker. Her death has shaken our close-knit Green Street Community. We collectively decided to help the family with any needs they may have. We love and miss you Nisha. Sleep in peace,” wrote Fulton.
Fulton spoke Friday afternoon about her friend, whom she saw almost every day. Her children are friends with Burruss’ children. They shared very similar stories of domestic abuse, as well as many laughs together, she said. Burruss was very involved in her boys life.
Burruss attended the May 30 Black Lives Matter march downtown, which made Fulton proud.
Fulton said it’s very important for victims to prepare if they ever need to flee for their safety. Don’t be afraid to call police is one of the most important pieces of advice she gives people. “Break the stigma of not pressing charges.
Have an exit plan.”
It’s also vital to set up a way to call for help in the case the victim’s phone is taken, have a place to stay, have a bag packed, and put aside whatever money they can to aid them, she said. .
Some of the emotions of the past have resurfaced with the loss of her friend, something common for victims, Fulton added. “I wish she would have shared more of what she was going through.”
Sharing custody with the abuser, courts sometimes dismissing the matters, and repeated legal proceedings can be very difficult , Fulton added.
Vollono, who has three children, knows the youths’ post-secondary education will be expensive. “This is really going to be a beginning for them,” he said.
His Middletown Public Schools colleagues strive to educate the whole child, he said. “We’re teachers, but, as a teacher, our lessons extend far beyond the four walls of a classroom.”
Vollono hopes the community will support these efforts. “I believe it takes a village. This is a time for Middletown, and our state, to show what a village we can be.”
He intends to distribute funds raised to whomever is appointed the legal guardian of the children.
A candlelight vigil is planned for 5 p.m. Saturday at Harbor Park on deKoven Drive. Organizers ask participants to wear face masks and practice social distancing measures for their health and safety.
Victims of domestic violence or those who know someone in that situation may call the statewide domestic violence hotline at 888-774-2900 (English) or 844-831-9200 (Spanish) or visit 211.org. The National Domestic Violence Hotline, at 800-799-7233, provides crisis intervention and referrals to service providers throughout the United States.