PORTLAND, Ore. — On a quiet porch in Northeast Portland, loved ones of Rachael Abraham gathered to remember the mother of six after she was murdered in the Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood on Aug. 27.
"Racheal was quiet if she didn't know you. But once she knew, you, she would talk a lot. She was very shy, but she wanted to become outgoing," said Didi Williams-Mott, who considered herself to be like an aunt to Abraham.
Abraham had a rough childhood that began in Louisiana. She moved to the Eugene area as a kid, and she and her three siblings were placed in foster care.
She met the people who she considered family while attending Lane Community College.
"It was a joy to have her around ... She was just like one of the grandkids. She came through the door, and the baby came in and we all was hugging and kissing on her," said Williams-Mott.
The extended family suffered tragedy in 2006 when Abraham's young sister was murdered in Lincoln County. The Skanner ran a story on it that featured Abraham, then 21, mourning her sibling.
RELATED: Portland domestic violence murder suspect had his bail covered by community fund a week prior
Three years later, she married Mario Abraham and they had three children together.
"Very king-hearted, loving person. Light-hearted, loved to joke around during conversations and very easy-going person," said Mario.
The marriage did not last, but Mario said they eventually worked out a friendly co-parenting agreement. He said initially, he wasn't concerned when his ex-wife began a romantic relationship with Mohamed Adan.
"Not at first. It seemed to be a normal relationship between the two. It wasn't until probably the last year or two that we learned that the relationship had started to turn abusive, and nobody really knew the extent of it," he said.
Over the last couple years, Mario said his daughters started telling him about arguments between the couple, and he could hear yelling in the house when he talked to the girls on the phone.
As the abuse continued, Mario said, the girls informed him that it was happening more frequently, and eventually the police were called to the house. When the Department of Human Services came to Mario and talk to him about the abuse, he decided to stop letting his kids go over.
Abraham and Adan had two kids of their own together. Mario said he was concerned for Abraham's safety and encouraged her to separate herself from Adan.
"And after awhile, she did. She got a restraining order and got him out of the house. But that did not stop him from contacting her," Mario said.
RELATED: Death of mother amid domestic violence case raises debate about bail funds and the bail system
Court documents show that police went to Abraham's home on May 2 of this year. She told them Adan had punched her in the head twice while she was laying on the couch. He was apparently angry about a text message Abraham received from a female friend.
Then on June 23, the police returned and were told that despite the restraining order, Adan had been at the home and was mistakenly let in by a young daughter.
Abraham reportedly told police that Adan broke her phone and prevented her from leaving the house. Court documents say he placed her in a chokehold and pressed down on her windpipe.
She told police she had been foaming at the mouth and believed she was going to pass out. She said he did this a total of five times during the night.
He was arrested, then let out of jail under the condition that he wore a GPS monitor. He was arrested again July 26 for removing his GPS monitor and returning to Abraham's home.
These abuse allegations were available to the public following Adan's arrests.
At a bail hearing for Adan on Aug. 19, a judge set his bail at $20,000. The next day, the a community bail fund called the Portland Freedom Fund paid to set him free.
Seven days later, he was arrested and charged with second-degree murder for Abraham's killing.
"When I found out the news that they had bailed him out, it was pretty unbelievable," said Mario. Given the rap sheet that he had with violent acts towards her, its just — I don’t know how any more negligent you can be regarding someone’s safety."
Williams agreed.
"The Portland Freedom Fund hurt us tremendously. We can never get her back. Never. There’s not enough apologies for us to get rid of that pain that we have," she said.
Williams said she supports the idea of helping people of color make bail for nonviolent crimes, but given Adan's record, she thinks the Portland Freedom Fund should be accountable for Abraham's death.
"I definitely believe they caused it. If they had not bailed him out of jail, she would be alive today."