Georgia mother dies after being ambushed by two women in alleged love triangle attack
Antonetta Stevens and Janine Gonzalez have been charged with the murder of 30-year-old Ashley Bocanegra
A Georgia woman was killed during an alleged dispute over a love triangle.
Ashley Bocanegra, 30, was lured to an apartment in Buford on Thursday, where she was allegedly fatally beaten by Antonetta Stevens, 27, and Janine Gonzalez, 17, Gwinnett County police said in a statement.
Ms Gonzalez’s brother, who has not been named, was romantically involved with Ms Stevens and Ms Bocanegra, the Macon Telegraph reported.
Ms Bocanegra, who shares a son with the brother, was taken to an area hospital with severe trauma and succumbed to her injuries hours later.
Investigators said that the alleged relationship between Ms Bocanegra and the unnamed man was the motive behind the attack.
The suspects were located by authorities at Ms Stevens’ apartment, where the attack took place, and questioned about the incident. They have since been arrested and charged with aggravated battery, robbery, and felony murder.
A neighbor reportedly witnessed the fight around 1pm on 11 August near the 2900 block of Buford Drive. Police said that the suspects took Ms Bocanegra’s phone and proceeded to physically attack her.
Jessica Roche, Ms Bocanegra’s sister, told local news station 11Alive that Ms Bocanegra had to be flown to a different hospital than the initial one she had been transported to due to the severity of her injuries.
“They fractured her ribs and her liver,” Roche said. “She couldn’t breathe out of her mouth. They had to put the tube in.”
She died before surgery could be performed on her.
Ms Bocanegra shared a seven-year-old son with Ms Gonzalez’s brother, who was also in the apartment at the time of the attack and had “injuries all over his shoulders and back,” 11Alive reported. Ms Gonzalez allegedly told authorities that her brother was cheating on Ms Stevens with Ms Bocanegra.
The man has not explained how he sustained those injuries, but police told the outlet he was the one to take Ms Bocanegra to the hospital.
According to a GoFundMe set up to raise funds for Ms Bocanegra’s funeral cost, she was a New York City native who had moved to Georgia “for a better life for herself and her son.”
As of Tuesday evening, $6,000 has been raised to bring Ms Bocanegra’s body to New York.
“She was such a happy individual who lit up the room as soon as she walked in. We also hope for justice; please keep our family in your prayers,” organizer Ingrid Feliciano wrote on the GoFundMe’s description.