Woman shot and killed April 21 was a mother of two, kind and loving

The mother of a woman found dead inside a residence on April 21 said her daughter was a mom, a good woman, and a wonderful person whose life was needlessly cut short.

Marion County Sheriff's Office officials said Erica Marie Brooks and James Marean were found shot to death inside a home in the 3000 block of Southeast 132nd Place, outside the city limits of Belleview, the morning of April 21.

Detectives said the incident is a murder/suicide and a landlord/tenant issue. Authorities said the landlord did shoot and kill Brooks and then shot himself. Sheriff's office officials said they're looking into the circumstances that led to the shooting. They declined to comment further, citing the ongoing investigation.

Carole Brooks, the victim's mother, calls her daughter's death senseless. She said her daughter was "stolen from us for no good reason by a deranged landlord." She said she's "lucky to have been chosen to be her mother."

"She's a great mother, wonderful daughter, sister and a great friend and confidant to whoever needed her ear," Brooks' mother said. "She gave the best hugs, the tight squeezy kind."

Last year, sheriff's officials said, there were 23 murders, and of that total, one was considered a murder/suicide. As of April 27, there have been seven murders in the county, two of which are classified as murder/suicide.

Growing up

Born in Newark, Delaware, the 37-year-old woman remained in Delaware until age 11, when she moved to Belleview. She's the second of three children, her mother said.

In Delaware, Brooks said, her daughter was a member of a local cheerleading squad that won championships.

Growing up in Belleview, Brooks attended Belleview Santos Elementary, Belleview Middle and later Belleview High School, where she graduated in 2005. In high school, Brooks loved her school and was a flag trooper, her mother said.

She was a mother to a 15-year-old son and a 11-year-old daughter. "She was a single parent who took on the responsibility of raising an autistic son and a young daughter without help or without whining about it," her mother said.

Brooks said her daughter was a loving person who adored her family and worked hard to provide for her children.

"She loved her kids deeply, she loved her parents deeply, and she loved her younger brother immensely along with his daughter, her first niece, who she spoiled a lot," the woman said. "She gave her whole heart and we loved her. She was trying to better her life by going to school for medical billing to improve her life, to improve the life of her children, and to give them everything they needed and deserved."

Brooks' mother said her daughter loved sugar skulls and drawing. According to the Mexic-Arte Museum , sugar skulls "are a confection molded from sugar paste. The design and construction of these figures can vary from region to region." The site states sugar skulls, also called calaveras, "are widely created in Mexico for the Day of the Dead celebrations in November. Sugar skulls are a popular offering since they mark the sweetness of life, and tie back to pre-Columbian skull motifs."

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The mother said Brooks loved trying different makeup techniques and "was a great doodler." Brooks is confident her daughter's presence is with them and her children.

"She was taken from us, from her children, and I'm sure she's watching over them," she said.

The funeral service for Brooks will be May 10, 6-8 p.m., at Hiers Baxley Funeral Home in Belleview.

Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Woman shot and killed April 21 was a mother of two, kind and loving