Victim remembered for ‘big heart’ as family calls for action

By DANIEL KITTREDGE
Posted 3/19/19

Lauren Ise’s “heart was bigger than the sun,” recalled her mother, Cheryl Palazzo. “Her big, beautiful blue eyes saw the good in everyone,” she added.

It was a deeply emotional late …

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Victim remembered for ‘big heart’ as family calls for action

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Lauren Ise’s “heart was bigger than the sun,” recalled her mother, Cheryl Palazzo. “Her big, beautiful blue eyes saw the good in everyone,” she added.

It was a deeply emotional late scene Sunday afternoon as Ise’s family and friends, along with the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence, held a vigil at the Hugh B. Bain Middle School track to honor Ise, 29, who police say was killed last week by her former boyfriend.

Scores of community members turned out for the gathering. A collage filled with pictures of Ise was placed on a bench behind the microphone from which several people spoke lovingly of Ise while questioning the circumstances that led to her death.

Palazzo said the family is “demanding answers” regarding why her daughter’s alleged killer, 40-year-old Michael T. Marrapese – as well as his brother, Steven Marrapese, 39 – were free despite prior run-ins with the law. She said her daughter had experienced difficulty in obtaining a protective order against her “street smart” former boyfriend.

“Somebody dropped the ball,” she said. “Neither one of them should have been out.”

Family friend Paul Ruo called Ise’s murder “ruthless” and “premeditated.”

“The system failed Lauren and it failed Cheryl. Let’s make sure they don’t fail anyone else,” he said.

At one point, Ruo asked those in attendance whether they “know someone who has been the victim of physical, verbal abuse or domestic violence.” Many in the crowd raised their hands.

“Look around. This is not an isolated case…it’s something that permeates down to the heart of our society,” he said.

He added, “Reflect upon Lauren. Reflect upon your family…what you would experience, how you would feel if one of your children was taken away from you like this.”

Ashley Pezzullo, one of Ise’s closest friends, spoke of Lauren’s “huge heart.” She called her late friend “my protector, my guardian angel.”

“We need to shed light on the issue of domestic violence…It’s affected women all over this country,” she said.

Ashley King, another of Ise’s closest friends, said Lauren was “a little sister to me.” She recalled playing with Ise on the Bain fields when the two were children.

“She was a beautiful girl, inside and out,” she said.

King said there “aren’t enough resources for victims of domestic violence.”

“[Ise] would be honored to see all of you here today…I think it’s really important that the community comes together as one right now,” she said.

Tonya Harris, executive director of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence, quoted the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in making a call for renewed focus on the issue of domestic violence.

“Tonight we’re here to hold up a light to drive domestic violence out of our communities…Education is the light that will help domestic violence end,” she said.

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