DENVER — An Ohio family is grieving the loss of a 23-year-old woman shot and killed in Denver late last month. It happened near East Kentucky Avenue and South Dexter Street on the southeast side of the city.
The victim was identified by her family as Kelsey Roberts-Gariety.
"We never had our parents there, so we always had each other’s back. We were really close. She was close to a lot of people," Roberts-Gariety's sister, Kylie Al-Nubu’at said.
"Yeah, anybody who met her loved her, anybody," her other sister, Kayla Ratleff, added.
The two sisters described Roberts-Gariety as a young woman with a big heart. She loved animals and had dreams to open up a cat café one day. Roberts-Gariety moved to Denver with her husband a few years ago but everything changed on June 29.
"I just remember saying, 'No,' because it was like impossible," Al-Nubu’at added as she fought back tears. "There's no way that her kindhearted soul was just gone."
Denver Police responded to a shot fired call in an apartment near East Kentucky and South Dexter Street. When they arrived, they found Roberts-Gariety dead from a gunshot wound.
Court documents say Roberts-Gariety's husband arrived home later and told police there was only one person in town that knew where they lived and he "had issues with him."
Her husband identified that man as Earnest Cunningham. An arrest affidavit stated Cunningham worked with Roberts-Gariety's husband and was fired for not showing up.
After that, he began calling Roberts-Gariety's husband and threatening him.
The arrest affidavit adds, that a witness saw a man run from the area of the shooting and got video as that person was taking off in the car. That license plate was traced back Earnest Cunningham. Police took Cunningham into custody shortly after.
"I don’t know, it still doesn’t really feel real because the way she went out she just doesn’t deserve it out of anybody," Ratleff said.
"In any other circumstance, we would have a funeral by now and we would have answers by now. And it’s just like this ongoing hurt and like questions on why and we have no idea," Al-Nubu’at said.
These sisters may never know exactly why this happened, but they vow to never stop fighting for her.
"I want justice for my little sister. I will not stop until my sister gets justice," Al-Nubu’at continued. "Her family loves her and they are going to be here screaming her name forever."
Cunningham faces a first-degree murder charge and is due back in court on August 2.
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