ARVADA, Colo. (KDVR) – On Sunday night, friends and family gathered in the parking lot of the Arvada apartment complex where Katrina Perez was allegedly murdered to honor her life.

Arvada Police responded to a domestic violence call at the Parkview Village West Apartments on Friday morning. They shot and killed a man inside one of the units who confronted them with a knife. Police found Perez dead with stab wounds inside the same unit.

“We can’t really say what happened in that house. We weren’t there at the time but from what we heard, it’s unfortunate but he made my mom struggle and he took my mom’s life from us,” Perez’s son Isreal Lara told FOX31.

According to family, Perez and the suspect were involved on and off for the past seven years. They say he struggled with mental health issues and drug addiction.

“My mom had a really big heart, a really open heart and she would do anything for anybody,” Lara said.

He says the man would leave for weeks or months at a time but that every time he would return to his mother, she would take him in because she was so kind.

“She opened up that door no matter what and it’s unfortunate that someone would take advantage of her like that,” he said.

Perez’s family says there were warning signs of the toxic relationship but that she never opened up to them about it.

“I sit and I think to myself what were the words that she was screaming out? Was he screaming my name? Was she screaming for me to come and help? And here I am, I didn’t help because I didn’t know because she didn’t take the steps to tell me,” Lara said.

They are now hoping Perez’s story will help other families speak up and seek help if they know someone in a similar relationship.

“No parent deserves to go out like this. No human being does,” Perez said.

The family has also started a GoFundMe page to help cover the unexpected funeral expenses.