The sisters of Denise Morgan have criticized an online obituary describing her killer Joed Taveras as "humble to a fault."
Denise Morgan (39) was shot dead by her boyfriend Joed Taveras in an apparent murder-suicide in a house in Glendale, Queens, on October 21. Morgan, a mother-of-one. who is originally from County Louth, was found unresponsive next to Taveras in the second-floor living room of the property. Both were pronounced dead at the scene and emergency services recovered a firearm from next to Taveras' body.
Morgan's sisters, Shannon and Lisa, have called for an online obituary dedicated to Taveras to be taken down immediately, describing the obituary as a slap in the face to the victim's family.
The obituary, which describes Taveras as "persistent with making those around him feel loved" and "humble to a fault", portrays him as a victim, according to Shannon Morgan.
"I understand that his family are grieving as well, but they need to do that in private because he has destroyed a whole family," Shannon Morgan told the Sunday World.
"He has destroyed a whole community. He has destroyed all of Denise’s friends.
"They should do their grieving in private and not be writing that he is a great man because he has been abusing Denise for years."
Shannon and Lisa revealed that Lisa had ended her relationship with Taveras and was due to move into a new apartment on November 1, ten days after she was shot dead.
Lisa said she had started to fear for Morgan's safety in the days before her death, stating that Taveras' behavior had become erratic after Denise made the decision to leave him.
"We were worried about Denise. Ever since she found out he was cheating on her, he got really vindictive," Lisa told the Sunday World.
"He was trying to make her jealous and always wanted to know where she was — just trying to play mind games on her."
Lisa added that the family was relieved when they heard that Morgan was moving out, stating that Taveras had become more and more aggressive.
Denise Morgan emigrated to New York seven years ago and was working in the Cottage Bar in Queens at the time of her death.
She is survived by her two sisters, her brother John, her parents Noel and Deirdre, and her nine-year-old daughter Mollie.
Lisa Morgan told the Sunday World that the family will "never get over" her loss, while Shannon described her sister as a kind-hearted person who was loved by everyone she met.
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