SAN ANTONIO – Nursing student Kristine Meza was shot and killed five year ago in a domestic violence attack. Now her family is reaching out to other victims, to tell them what they've learned.
Hilarious. Smart. Independent. Dedicated. Adored. These are all words Jessica Meza uses to describe her sister, Kristine.
"We were just two years apart, so we were really close. And I looked up to her a lot," she said.
When Kristine's two-year relationship with her boyfriend started going downhill, it was hard for Jessica to see her big sister being controlled.
"When she'd come over, she was kind of put on a time limit," Jessica remembered.
Kristine never said anything about the control until verbal threats turned into physical violence.
"He beat her up really badly. Her whole left side of her face was badly bruised and beaten. She had a huge swollen eye. When I saw her she was almost unrecognizable. It was probably one of the most difficult things for me to see my sister like that," Jessica Meza said.
That night, Kristine left her boyfriend for good. However, Jessica said he still called, stalked and threatened her for months. She filed a protective order against him.
He broke that protective order around 7:30 a.m. on Feb. 11, 2011.
"What we understand now, he was I guess waiting for her to leave that morning. He had waited for her to back out of the driveway, came around and he hit her car from the rear. I believe at that point he got out of the car, had a gun, I guess asked her to get out of the car, shot her and then he shot himself," she said.
Jessica stayed with her sister until the ambulance took her, but her injuries were too much and she died.
Kristine’s ex-boyfriend died at the scene.
"It just reminds me the position my sister was in, and how much she wanted to change the situation," she said through tears.
She wishes Kristine would have opened up about the abuse earlier, so they could have tried to help her.
"There may have been some signs, some red flags that she didn't really ever come forward about," she said. "We didn't know how to deal with it. We did not know how to navigate through what was happening."
Jessica said she and her family didn't know how many resources there were in Bexar County.
"After everything that happened we are definitely more aware of all the resources that are out there. Battered Women's Shelter, they offer counseling services for the women, for the children. Having access and awareness of those resources are a big factor in protecting yourself."
She and her family have now dedicated themselves to spreading awareness, and trying to prevent another tragedy from happening.
There is a Zumbathon Sunday at Semenia Dance Studio from 2-4 p.m., raising awareness for domestic violence and money for the Kristine Meza Foundation. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. All funds go to the Battered Women's Shelter of Bexar County, and a scholarship for Alamo Colleges.
Domestic violence is never OK, click here for additional information on resources available in our community.