CHELSEA, Mass. — A family friend is remembering the 59-year-old Chelsea mother who was allegedly murdered by the estranged boyfriend she was trying to break up with.
Court records show Margarita Morehead had an active restraining order against Angel Alvarez.
Prosecutors said that did not stop Alvarez from entering her first-floor apartment on Monday morning and attacking her.
According to investigators, the 65-year-old punched and stabbed Morehead multiple times after she attempted to end their relationship.
Morehead’s restraining order required Alvarez to stay away from her building and stay at least 100 yards away from her at all times.
In a handwritten note, Morehead indicated to the courts that Alvarez called her 24/7.
She reportedly said, “It has been more than two weeks that it does not let me sleep.”
“She was a devoted mother, daughter, sister [and] friend. She was someone willing and ready to help others. She was beautiful inside and out,” said family friend Silvia Carlisle.
Carlisle told Boston 25 News that she viewed Morehead as her “adoptive aunt”.
“My heart is shattered,” she said. “She was the sweetest woman and had a heart made out of gold.”
Boston 25 News has learned that the restraining order against Alvarez expired back in November, but Morehead got it extended to last through this coming November.
Court notes indicate Morehead told a judge that he “used hurtful words that hurt her heart”, said vulgar things to her and wished for her mother’s death.
“The message women are getting from the system in Massachusetts... you can get a restraining order, but it’s not likely to make a difference,” said Wendy Murphy, who runs the Women’s and Children’s Advocacy Project at New England Law Boston.
Murphy said the tragic outcome that stole Morehead from her family is a heartbreaking story she’s seen many times before.
“A man who has the ability to kill is not the sort of person who’s interested in obeying a piece of paper,” she said. “That’s the problem here, that a man would kill a woman because he felt entitled to stay with her even when she didn’t want to stay with him.”
Prosecutors said Alvarez escaped out the side door at Morehead’s condo complex and left behind a trail of blood.
He called Chelsea Police later that night and turned himself in.
He is now being held without bail following his arraignment on Tuesday.
Alvarez is due back in court on July 12.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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