A Buford woman is dead and two others are behind bars facing murder charges following a fight fueled by infidelity, according to Gwinnett County police.
According to a news release from the department, 30-year-old Ashley Bocanegra died Thursday from severe injuries she suffered when two women attacked her.
Antonetta Phylisha Stevens, 27, of Buford, and Janine Rosa Gonzalez, a 17-year-old from Buffalo, New York, were both arrested Friday on charges of felony murder, robbery and aggravated battery. They both remained in the Gwinnett jail without bond Friday afternoon, according to online booking records.
A police spokesman said the suspects lured Bocanegra to Stevens’ residence at the Preston Hills at Mill Creek apartment complex in the 2900 block of Buford Drive around 1 p.m. Thursday. Once there, police said they attacked the victim, beating her severely and causing injuries that forced her to be hospitalized and ultimately led to her death. They also took her cellphone, police said.
Homicide detectives questioned Gonzalez and Stevens at the apartment and said both women participated in the attack.
According to investigators, Bocanegra and Stevens were in a romantic relationship with the same man, who was Gonzalez’s brother, and that was their impetus for the attack.
Bocanegra’s family created a GoFundMe page Friday to raise money for funeral expenses. On the page, organizer Ingrid Morales said Bocanegra was a native of the Bronx, New York native who moved to Buford to carve out a better life for herself and her 7-year-old son.
“She was such a happy individual who lit up the room as soon as she walked in,” Morales wrote.
Bocanegra’s cousin, Megan Colon, said despite investigators’ notion that the attack stemmed from the victim’s romantic relationship, Bocanegra was in a long-term relationship with her son’s father.
“She was always a very ambitious independent woman,” Colon said. “She was a wonderful mother to her 7-year-old son. He was her world she made sure he always got the best.”
Credit: Provided/Megan Colon
Credit: Provided/Megan Colon
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