Brazilian woman stabbed to death in Limerick apartment, vigil held in her honour
Jady Cristine Pereira Rosa, 33, was murdered at her Cecil Street home on Friday. A vigil in Limerick drew tributes from colleagues and activists.
Limerick mourns Brazilian woman killed at Cecil Street apartment
A candlelit vigil was held in Limerick on Monday evening in memory of Jady Cristine Pereira Rosa, a 33-year-old Brazilian woman stabbed to death at her Cecil Street apartment the previous Friday, BreakingNews.ie reports.
Rosa, who had been living in Limerick for a number of years and worked for a local cleaning firm, was killed at the home she shared with her husband, Judismar Weslei Batista. His body was subsequently found at Blackrock, Co Cork, approximately 12 hours after Rosa's remains were discovered.
Investigating gardaí were treating the case as a murder-suicide, with Batista regarded as the chief suspect in his wife's killing. It is understood the couple's relationship had broken down in recent times. Gardaí did not formally name Batista, but a Garda spokesman confirmed that "a male in his 30s who was a person of interest and a line of enquiry in this investigation has been found deceased."
An incident room has been established at Henry Street Garda Station, where a Senior Investigating Officer has been appointed to lead the inquiry. Anyone with information is asked to contact the station on (061) 212400.
'The bubbliest, happiest person'
The vigil was organised by feminist movement Limerick ROSA, which gathered members of the public in solidarity with victims of gender-based violence. Organisers placed a framed photograph of Rosa alongside one of Annemarie O'Reilly, a 30-year-old mother of three from Clonmel, Co Tipperary, who was found dead at her home in Melbourne, Australia, also on Friday morning. Patrick Stokes, 45, also reported to be Irish and known to O'Reilly, was charged with her murder the following Sunday.
Vigil organiser Caitriona Ní Caithain addressed those gathered. "This is about holding space for two women who were taken away from us violently at the hands of violent men, it is about coming together and grieving this terrible loss," she said. "Men really need to engage and listen to women, and pay attention to how women are feeling, especially when they are deeply affected by a femicide or an incident of gender-based violence."
Gabriela Lobianco, a Brazilian PhD business student and Cork ROSA activist, called for education as the central response. "Gender-based violence is getting worse and worse. It is about structure and education, it is something we need to stop at the root," she said.
Colleagues of Rosa who attended the vigil described her warmth and energy. Mark Halvey, from Murroe, Co Limerick, said: "It is just heartbreaking, it's very sad — she was the bubbliest, happiest person you could ever meet." He added that staff at the cleaning firm learned the news on Friday morning and "the whole place was in total shock." He expressed hope that Rosa's remains could be returned to Brazil for a proper burial.
Aine Foley, from Bruff, Co Limerick, said Rosa "was just always smiling, and whatever you asked of her she was always willing, she was so chatty."
National Women's Council and repatriation fund
The National Women's Council of Ireland said in a Facebook statement that it was "struggling to find the words… that another woman has been killed this year." It added: "Jady Cristine Pereira Rosa was from Brazil and lived in Limerick. Our hearts are today with her, and with her loved ones, for whom her loss will be immeasurable. Every woman deserves to live free from violence and abuse."
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to cover the costs of repatriating Rosa's remains to her native São Paulo and funding her funeral. The fund had raised over €25,000 at the time of reporting.
An Garda Síochána confirmed it continues to investigate the murder of Rosa "to determine all of the circumstances of her death."
Source: BreakingNews.ie