Murdered Iowa City woman’s family reflects

Tanesha Por wore her mother's favorite fleece sweatshirt as she helped family pack up memories of her slain mother who was described as a woman who always had a smile on her face.

“She was just a loving, outgoing, fun person,” said her middle child of three, just two days after laying her mother to rest after being shot Feb. 2 in Chicago.

The room was filled with both sadness and joy while reminiscing about Maryrosa Russell-Green, who moved to Iowa City in November to escape city life.

“She was tired of all the violence that was going on,” Por said.

Por said when she got the call about her mother it didn't seem real, but when she told her five-year-old son Jalen, she broke down.

“He said ‘mama, I'm not sad. I'm just mad that I can't see grandma anymore,” she said.

Russell-Green had been a prominent part in her grandson's life, and she had stayed in town longer to have just a few more hours with him the night she was killed.

Police say 44-year-old Russell-Green and her boyfriend, 28-year-old Charles King, were parked on a Chicago street when another car drove up and shots were fired. Both were pronounced dead at a hospital.

Por, 26, said police have two suspects in the case, but that no arrests have been made.

Russell-Green's youngest sister, Monica Mullen, 35, of Iowa City, said she will be remembered as a lady who loved to sing and dance - always with a touch of red lipstick.

Mullen's tear filled eyes turned to laughter as she held her big sister's white and blue Jordan sneakers that she said her sister never stopped wearing.

Amid the tragedy, the family gathered and took out old photographs and told stories of their beloved mother and sister.

“I'm just trying to get one last scent, but it's hard to get just one,” Por said.