A 30-year-old mother of three was viciously stabbed to death in front of her two young children in Salinas, California, on Sunday, June 25. The perpetrator, Rodrigo Bravo, 32, had an active restraining order placed against him and was accused of violating it multiple times in the past.
The children that witnessed the tragic murder of their mother were a two-year-old boy and a one-year-old girl.
By the time police responded to the residence on Natividad Road, Eleni Tavau had already suffered multiple stab wounds. Officers attempted to revive her, but she was ultimately transported to a local hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries.
Unable to outrun justice, the accused turned himself in at the county jail Sunday afternoon. He then appeared in court to face six felony charges, including second-degree murder and two counts of causing great bodily harm to minor children. Court documents stated that he used a knife to kill the mother of two of his children and that Bravo had previously been found guilty of assaulting Tavau and violating court orders in the past 12 months.
The Tavau family has now set up a GoFundMe page to cover the costs of bringing Eleni’s remains back to her native Samoa for a proper burial. Any donations from the public will be greatly appreciated and will honor her memory.
Bravo remains in custody with his bail set at more than 1 million dollars, and he was scheduled to stand trial on July 26. This tragic event serves as a reminder of domestic violence’s severe consequences and stresses the importance of court orders. Though the Tavau family is left to pick up the pieces of their lives without Eleni, their grief is seen, and we send them our heartfelt condolences.