A Florida teacher watched in horror as her student’s mother was murdered right in front of her.
The ten-year-old girl was live on Zoom with her class for her very first day of online learning on Tuesday morning when her mom was shot dead.
Martin County Sheriff’s Office said 32-year-old Maribel Rosado-Morales was killed in front of six children by 27-year-old Donald J. Williams, an ex-boyfriend, CBS12 reported.
Investigators said Williams showed up at the Indianatown home around 8 AM, just as the child was logging on with her class.
“One of the children, the ten-year-old, is online, getting ready to start the day — it’s early, you know, 8 o’clock,” Sheriff William Snyder described. “The teacher’s online — I’ve never done a Zoom with children, I’m picturing there’s other children on — and the teacher can see the children.”
“The teacher said that she heard a commotion, heard profanity, realized there was some kind of domestic altercation… still can see the child that’s online,” the sheriff explained.
“The teacher said she mutes her button so that nobody has to hear it; and then she sees the ten-year-old put her hands up to her ears.”
Rosado-Morales was shot several times in front of her four children, and their two cousins; the little girl’s teacher could see the little girl’s reaction.
Sheriff Snyder said a bullet even struck the laptop the child was sitting at.
“Almost immediately after the child put her hands up to her ears the computer screen went black,” he said. “We know the computer screen was hit with a projectile, so that makes sense.”
Detectives said Williams fled the scene on a bicycle before boarding a bus and asking the driver to take him to Stuart, an hour away; but the driver became suspicious and called 911.
Snyder said Williams gave a full confession, and will now face a first-degree murder charge.
He said the accused had confronted the victim “with something to do with a video”.
“He says she actually started to smile at him and he became enraged and shot her,” Snyder said.
