Woman Who Posted a Snapchat of Boyfriend Pointing Gun at Her Was Found Shot Dead Hours Later
Young Arkansas mother took selfie of boyfriend pointing gun at her, hours before he allegedly shot her dead
Excerpt: NY Daily News
An Arkansas woman posted selfies on social media showing her boyfriend pointing a gun at her head — hours before he allegedly shot her dead, police said.
Stephanie Hernandez, mother of a 3-year-old and an 8-month-old daughter, posted one picture Sunday of a gun and ammo in her Little Rock home. She also sent a Snapchat photo showing her smiling at the camera while her boyfriend, Rafael Gonzalez, holds a gun behind her head, KARKreported.
"Strap Chat," the caption said, punning a slang term for carrying a gun.
That night, the 21-year-old was found dead from a gunshot wound in her house. Police found the home ransacked, with blood all over a floor.
The next day, Gonzalez, 20, was arrested and charged for first-degree murder, police said.
It’s unclear what led to Gonzalez allegedly shooting his girlfriend. Hernandez’s daughters were with relatives when the shooting happened, her friends said.
Hernandez’s family members were horrified to see the pictures she had taken, not knowing they would be her last.
“They were disturbing to see (Gonzalez) holding a gun,” Hernandez’s uncle Rey Hernandez told KARK.
Rafael Gonzalez, 20, was charged with first-degree murder.
“I guess they were loaded. In her back — it is just mind-blowing. I don’t understand how anybody could do that.”
Now they’re left to explain to Hernandez’s little girls what happened.
“My nieces have been crying all night,” Hernandez’s sister Camryn Startz told KATV.
“I haven't told my 3-year-old niece anything yet. She knows something is wrong because she wants her mom.”
Relatives said Hernandez had just moved into a new home weeks ago and was supposed to start a job Monday morning.
One friend, Jaquinlan Davis, told KATV Hernandez’s boyfriend was “a bad influence” and the two had a rocky, on-and-off relationship.