In the pre-dawn hours of a Thursday in Ansonia, Connecticut, the quiet of a Westfield Avenue neighborhood was shattered by violence. Inside her home, 45-year-old Hispanic female Miguelina Lebron was confronted by her ex-husband, Yanis Tavarez. The 47-year-old Bridgeport man had forced his way into the residence where Lebron had been living with her children for several months. What followed was a tragic act that would leave a family irrevocably broken.
Around 5 a.m., a 911 call was made from inside the house by one of the two teenagers present at the time. When police officers arrived, they discovered a horrific scene. Lebron had been shot multiple times in the torso. Nearby lay the body of Tavarez, who had a single gunshot wound to the head. Emergency services transported Lebron to a local hospital, but she ultimately succumbed to her injuries. Tavarez was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation concluded that he had murdered Lebron before taking his own life.
The couple, who had been divorced for several years, shared three children. Two of their teenage children were in the home when the incident occurred but were not physically harmed. Authorities noted that there were no prior domestic violence calls to the residence and no protective orders in place between Lebron and Tavarez. Despite this, law enforcement officials and domestic violence prevention advocates described the event as a heartbreaking and senseless crime of domestic violence, highlighting that the abuse can tragically escalate long after a relationship has ended.
