Antonio Wilcox shot and killed his pregnant girlfriend, Michelle McDonald, on Saturday in West Hill, Cincinnati, in front of her four-year-old child.
Fox 19 reported that, according to McDonald’s family, she and Wilcox had been dating for about a year, and Wilcox was her unborn baby’s father.
At her daughter’s vigil held on Sunday, Michelle Sanchez, McDonald’s mom, said, “I just feel like so much pain like it’s never going to end.”
Her family also mentioned that McDonald was more than eight months pregnant and that her daughter witnessed the incident.
“Within a span of 24 hours, you lose your child and your grandchild unborn,” her cousin Adrian Blasingame said.
Another cousin, Dorthea Young, said, “We got a 4-year-old we gotta help get through trauma for the rest of her life.”
“It’s sickening to me,” said Young. “To me, he never deserves to see the light of day…He tore my family apart with this one. That’s all I can say. He left a baby without a mother,” she added, according to WCPO.
After the shooting, McDonald was sent to the hospital, and doctors tried to save her unborn baby through early delivery. Still, the infant girl died at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center on Saturday. Cincinnati Police reported that the family named the baby Aaliyah Marie McCoy.
On Friday July 16th, 31-yr-old Michelle McDonald who was pregnant was murdered by 31-yr-Old Antonio Wilcox. Despite the efforts by CFD, CPD and UC Medical Staff, Michelle’s child, Aaliyah Marie McCoy passed away on Saturday. https://t.co/LNmtWjueFi
— Cincinnati Police Department (@CincyPD) July 19, 2021
“Just walk away. Just walk away. And stop doing these things in front of these kids,” Young said.
The family stated that they hope this tragedy will be a lesson to people in abusive relationships to find the strength to walk away or seek help.
Although McDonald’s death was sudden and difficult for her family and friends to accept, they are finding peace in the fact that the person responsible has been arrested and will face justice.
“We got immediate justice, and it goes to show God is working with our family,” Blasingame said.
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McDonald’s family also said that they’d like to create a group or event to help spread awareness of domestic violence and mental illness in honor of McDonald, who always saw the best in people.
