OSHTEMO TOWNSHIP, Mich. (TCN) — A 32-year-old man has been arraigned on open murder and weapons charges after allegedly fatally shooting his estranged girlfriend while she was attempting to move out of their shared home.
Deputies arrived at a mobile home on the afternoon of July 5 after receiving a report that Marissa Mion, 25, had been shot, according to WWMT. Ernesto Cuascut-Santini’s sister contacted authorities and alleged he called her and told her he shot Mion.
Mion was found in the bedroom suffering from gunshot wounds and Cuascut-Santini was outside with blood spatter on his face, according to WWMT. WOOD reports he was allegedly shouting, “She’s shot. … I shot my girl.”
The couple’s two young children, ages 1 and 7, were reportedly in the next room when she was shot, according to court documents obtained by WWMT.
During the investigation, witnesses told authorities the couple had been arguing in the days before Mion’s death. One witness said Cuascut-Santini allegedly told Mion, “You are either going to be with me or I will kill you,” per WWMT.
WOOD reports that according to Mion’s friend, the couple had broken up several times in the past and Mion was trying to move out of the home she shared with Cuascut-Santini the day she was shot. Mion reportedly told her friend she was going home to pick up the children and some personal items and she asked her friend to monitor her location because she was concerned about safety.
During his interview with authorities, Cuascut-Santini said he threw away Mion’s clothes before she arrived, leading to an argument, WOOD reports. He said weapons had come out frequently when they fought in past, and he fired a gun at Mion on July 5 until it was empty. Cuascut-Santini allegedly called a friend and admitted that he shot Mion.
An autopsy found Mion had been shot eight times.
Cuascut-Santini was arraigned July 7 on open murder and weapons charges, according to WOOD.
According to an online obituary, Mion enjoyed reading, shopping, video games, travel, cooking, and fitness. She worked with adults with disabilities and enjoyed taking them on outings and to community events.
Mion’s family members said she brought banana pudding to a Fourth of July party the day before she was killed. According to her friend Taylor Lhamon, “She would pride herself on how her children were happy. Anything for her children,” WXMI reports. “She didn’t have the best childhood growing up. So she made sure her kids had so much more than she ever could have thought.”
WOOD reports Cuascut-Santini is scheduled to appear again in court on July 21 and July 28.
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