SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Ariz. (KGUN) — A domestic violence tragedy in Louisiana is drawing national attention after a 31-year-old father shot and killed his seven children and an eighth child related to him.
For one Southern Arizona mother, the case hits especially close to home.
“Eight of them… I don’t know how anyone can survive that… I could not survive that… that’s too much,” said Susan Stemper.
In 2019, Stemper’s 25-year-old daughter, Marilynn Pacheco, was shot and killed. Her ex-boyfriend was later arrested and sentenced in connection with her death.
Stemper says the loss is something her family continues to live with every day.
“I have a piece of her. She was just… she loved her family. She loved her friends,” Stemper said. “We miss that love. We really do. It’s really hard not to talk to her because she was my best friend.”
She describes her daughter as selfless, someone who would give anything to help others. But she says that same kindness also made her vulnerable.
“Her weakness was, she had a really big heart. So that stepped on a lot,” she said.
Looking back, Stemper says there were warning signs in the relationship, but they were not always clear in the moment.
“Yeah, there was always signs,” she said.
Stemper also says she understands the situation from personal experience. She says she was once a victim of domestic violence herself, something she believes influenced how her daughter handled her own situation.
“I went through it myself,” she said. “I understood it.”
Now, she is urging others to act sooner if they recognize similar signs.
“I would say to them to please get out as quickly as they can… get the help… it’s there,” she said.
She also encourages people not to ignore emotional or verbal abuse.
“If that person is mean in any way, name calling, belittling… that’s not love,” she said.
The impact of Marilynn’s death extends beyond Stemper. Her daughter left behind a child who was just 7 years old at the time and is now growing up without her mother. Today, that child is preparing to enter high school.
Stemper says that reality is what drives her to keep sharing her daughter’s story. In the years since Marilynn’s death, she has continued speaking out in hopes of helping others recognize the warning signs of abuse.
“If I can share her story and talk about her, I will,” she said. “She’s still my everything… and I live today to tell her story… and for my granddaughter because she doesn’t have a mom anymore.”
She hopes speaking out will help prevent other families from experiencing the same loss.
“I don’t want anyone to feel what we feel,” she said. “Nobody deserves to feel what we feel.”
When she sees stories like the one in Louisiana, Stemper says she thinks about the families left behind.
“That nightmare… that family… the ones left behind are going to go through,” she said. “I can’t imagine seeing eight coffins… small coffins.”
If you or someone you know needs help, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text 88788.
In Southern Arizona, local support is also available through Emerge! Center Against Domestic Abuse, the largest domestic abuse shelter and provider of prevention and support programs in the region.
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Kenny Darr is a reporter for KGUN 9. He joined the team in January 2023. Before arriving in Arizona he was an Anchor and Reporter at KADN in Lafayette, LA. Share your story ideas with Kenny by emailing kenny.darr@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
