NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Court documents reveal new information about the events leading up to the death of a 36-year-old woman in Newport News earlier this week.
Police say Emma Carolina Lopez Navarre died after an alleged domestic assault early Monday morning.
According to a search warrant, her husband, Javier Hernandez-Orellana, 47, called officers to a home on 75th Street around 2:30 a.m. and said his wife stopped breathing after he pushed her into wall.
When asked how long she'd been unresponsive, Orellana told police, "maybe two or three hours."
Navarre was pronounced dead at the scene, and police arrested Hernandez-Orellana for domestic homicide.
Court records show Hernandez-Orellana now faces murder charges. He is scheduled in court for a preliminary hearing in November.
As the legal process now gets underway, 13News Now is looking into what the police department is doing to break the cycle of domestic violence in the community.
"What we've come to find out is that one of the top calls that officers respond to are domestic related calls to service," said Dr. Cheryl Chavers, a domestic violence specialist for the Newport News Police Department.
Chavers works with victims to get them the support and resources they need to help break the cycle of domestic violence. And she trains police officers to help in that effort.
"Domestic violence will typically escalate," she said. "Often times what will happen is people will experience it and not even realize they are going through domestic violence."
Chavers says too often people don't know the signs or try to handle the situation on their own until its too late. She advises anyone experiencing domestic violence to seek help right away.
"What we're trying to do here in Newport News is to really work in terms of being as proactive as possible in addressing the issue of domestic violence," she said.
Last year, the city created a Community Coalition Against Domestic Violence, a group including survivors who meet monthly to bring awareness and support. The meetings are open, and she encourages anyone in the community to join and help break the cycle.