Tamara Rowe, a 40-year-old Bronx mother of two, is being remembered as a devoted parent after she was allegedly stabbed to death by her boyfriend in a brutal act of domestic violence last month.
A native of Jamaica, Rowe was found fatally wounded inside her East 232nd Street apartment near White Plains Road on June 28, having suffered multiple stab wounds to her chest and arm. One of her children was reportedly inside the home at the time of the attack.
Police arrested 39-year-old Khaleel Cooper at the scene and charged him with murder, manslaughter, endangering the welfare of a child, and criminal possession of a weapon.
“Tamara’s death was not just a tragedy — it was a horrific act of domestic violence that has left her family reeling, and her two young daughters without their mother. She suffered in her final moments in a way no one ever should, and we are left not only to grieve her loss, but to fight for her memory and her dignity,” Lotanya Datton, Rowe’s cousin said.
The comments were shared in an online fundraiser the family is organizing to not only give Rowe a proper farewell, but also to transport her body back to her native Jamaica for burial. Proceeds will also help cover counseling costs for her two surviving daughters.
Law enforcement sources say that Rowe was allegedly murdered by Cooper because he believed she was cheating on him. EMS rushed her to Montefiore Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
Datton says that her cousin’s life exemplified so much more than how she lost it.
“Tamara was more than how she died — she was loyal, honest, hardworking, and deeply loving. She was a devoted mother who sacrificed daily to give her daughters a better life. She was a dedicated worker, a faithful friend, and a bright light in the lives of all who knew her. Her love was constant, her smile infectious, and her strength unmatched,” Datton said.
Datton is also asking the public to keep Rowe’s memory alive by raising awareness of domestic violence.
“Now, her daughters are left without the woman who loved them most. Our family is grieving the violent and unimaginable loss of someone who should still be here,” Datton said.
The GoFundMe can be found here.
