A mother of three in Durham, North Carolina, was shot to death by a “man she once loved” after she ended an abusive relationship with him.
Officers with the Durham Police Department confirmed in a news release that they discovered the body of 27-year-old ShaKeva Dixon in her apartment on February 3.
Soon after, police found the body of 36-year-old Maurice Langston nearby. It was quickly suspected that the pair died in a murder-suicide.
Following her death, Dixon’s family launched a GoFundMe page to help her three children during the difficult time. In the description, the family members explained that Dixon was “unexpectedly murdered by a man she once loved.”
“She had made up her mind that she was done with the physical, verbal, mental, and emotional abuse. He said he was leaving, and she didn’t beg, chase, or plead for him to stay this time. She told him to just go ahead,” the post read. “That triggered him because he came back. He came back in full rage.”
The family went on to claim that Langston “kicked her front door in, went upstairs, kicked her bedroom door in and ended her life while 2 of her children were present.”
The post also stated that Langston then “turned around and ended his own life.”
“She leaves behind 3 beautiful daughters who are temporarily in the custody of the family. But they have to go through court and proper channels to gain sole custody,” the family wrote. “The kids are ages 1, 2, and 9 years old. Anything will help care for these children at this time, giving her the beautiful homegoing service she deserves! Anything will help this family in their time of need.”
The GoFundMe page has raised more than $7,000 of its $10,000 goal as of time of publication.
Langston was the father of Dixon’s two youngest children. It is not clear how long they were together prior to their split.
Police said it was determined that both Dixon and Langston suffered apparent gunshot wounds when their bodies were discovered. Additionally, they said that Langston’s wounds appeared to be self-inflicted.
The Durham Police Department did not immediately respond to Luxury Handbag Shopping’s request for comment regarding the case.
In addition to setting up the GoFundMe page, Dixon’s family also discussed the tragic situation while speaking to WRAL.
Dixon’s grandmother, Lenore Peay, told the outlet that she will make sure her great-granddaughters are taken care of in their mother’s absence. “They are going to be loved and taken care of, but you know we can’t bring the mom back,” she said.
“We have a large family and we are going to have to pull together at this time. We are still doing the best we can and making sure that they are taken care of,” she added.
Meanwhile, Dixon’s eldest daughter also shared a glimpse into what type of person she was. “She was a nice, intelligent, smart mom. She always had my back when I was down,” she told the outlet.
