The family of a Lawrenceville woman killed by her husband last week is asking for help paying for her funeral and supporting her five children, one of whom penned a heartfelt message to her.
Claudia Roberts, 45, was fatally shot by her husband, 51-year-old Glenroy Roberts, at a Bethesda Church Road apartment Aug. 2, according to Gwinnett County police. He initially claimed she took her own life following an argument, but investigators soon determined the victim had more than one gunshot wound, and multiple shell casings were found near her body.
The couple’s 10-year-old son also was present in the home at the time of the shooting, according to police, but he did not witness the incident.
Glenroy Roberts was charged with felony murder and aggravated assault and taken to the Gwinnett County jail.
According to the family’s Facebook fundraising campaign, Claudia Roberts “had a laugh that was contagious and made the room light up with her presence ... (she) left behind her children and an entire community of people who loved her.”
Claudia Roberts had just returned from New Jersey, where she celebrated her mother’s birthday.
“I guess he wasn’t pleased with her for going,” her mother, Delores Squires, told Channel 2 Action News. “She shouldn’t have gone down like that. She didn’t deserve that.”
The family told Channel 2 that Claudia Roberts had been trying to work on her relationship with her husband of 21 years for the sake of her children.
“She wanted to see them grow up with a father,” Squires said.
If convicted, Glenroy Roberts faces life in prison.
Claudia Roberts’ 15-year-old daughter, whose name was not disclosed, wrote on the fundraising page: “I miss you mama. You are my heart and will always be. I wish I could ask you what to do right now because I need you the most. I am strong, and in the future, your grandkids will hear all the stories about you. You made me smile on days I thought I couldn’t. You always knew what to do when something went wrong. You played the mom and dad role so well and made it look so effortless and you never forgot to smile. I know I can get through anything because you did. You are my hero and I love you so much.”
The 15-year-old described her mother as her best friend who taught her to be strong and to always hold her ground.
“She left so soon, but I am going to make her proud,” the daughter wrote. “She loves her kids; all she ever did was talk about how she wanted me and my siblings to be great. She made sure we were never forgotten and I will do the same for her.”
At a vigil following her death, one of her children described his mother as a hero and warned others to “watch the people you stay around,” he said, “because you never know what their intentions are,” Channel 2 reported.
