Grief-stricken loved ones plead for justice in Lisa Velasquez murder case

<p>Relatives are praying for justice in the case of Lisa Velasquez, the young woman whose remains were found in two Bronx parks.</p>

News 12 Staff

Sep 1, 2018, 9:51 PM

Updated 2,062 days ago

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Relatives are praying for justice in the case of Lisa Velasquez, the young woman whose remains were found in two Bronx parks.
As News 12 has reported, police say 25-year-old Velasquez was murdered and dismembered. Her friend and her friend's boyfriend are now charged with her murder.
Iris Ginel, Velasquez's grandmother, wiped away tears as she spoke with News 12.
"My daughter was murdered, my husband died, and now this one. But this one was so brutal," she says.
Lisa Velasquez was raised by her grandmother, aunt and other family members, after she witnessed her mother’s ex-boyfriend, Robert Coakley, murder her pregnant mother. 
"This is worse than watching a horror movie," says Velasquez's aunt, Jackie Perez. "It's worse than what happened to my sister."
Loved ones now want her to be remembered as the happy, dancing woman she once was. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help pay for funeral expenses, but the family wants everyone to know it's not about the money.
"It's about getting justice for Lisa, and it's about getting them life," says Perez.
Funeral arrangements are set for Thursday at the Ortiz Funeral Home. Another vigil is also being held before the funeral, for friends and family who could not make it to the first vigil.


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