A 31-year-old Black mother of two was killed in her Ohio home last week by a man who had been trying to pursue her romantically for a brief period of time.

The suspect, identified as 28-year-old Kendall Beasley, was apprehended by police and taken into custody on Thursday, according to People Magazine. He has been charged with murder and felonious assault. When police arrived on the scene, Dayton Police Lt. Jason Hall said officers determined that Shanika Bogan “was dead upon their arrival” on April 30. From the officers’ evaluation of the murder scene, Hall said it appeared that it “was an intentional killing.”

Tracie Berry, Bogan’s mother, said she became worried when she didn’t hear from her daughter last Friday, leading her to drive to her child's home to check up on her. The mother said she found her daughter’s body and the children when she got to the apartment. The kids were safe and fortunately didn’t bear witness to the horrific incident.

The police lieutenant said the suspect and the victim were familiar with each other “for a very short period of time” and that Beasley was trying to establish a romantic relationship with her. Hall expressed that the 28-year-old man was persistent but Bogan didn’t return his affection.

“She was set up basically in kind of a blind date type of situation,” the police official added. “He was obviously pursuing a romantic relationship with her.”

Authorities have yet to discover the motive behind the crime, according to People. “We still have a lot of work to do on the motive end of that,” Hall said. “We are trying to piece together the events that occurred but I don’t have an answer for that right now.”

Berry revealed that in conversations with her grandson, the boy told her that Beasley went into a room with his mother and closed the door behind him.

“He told my oldest grandson, ‘I’m going to give your mama a massage,’” she told WHIO-TV. “I know he went in the bedroom and shut the door … and he came out told my grandson, ‘She’s taking a nap – get (yourself) some cereal to snack on and I’ll be back’ … and left.”

The victim’s brother referred to Beasley as “the devil” and shared that his late sister “was a sweetheart. Like, literally the nicest person you will ever meet.”

On Wednesday, Berry said in an interview that the ordeal feels “unbelievable.” The mother expressed that, “Shanika wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

Both Berry and Bogan’s brother, William Bogan, had previously called for the man to turn himself in.

With her daughter having been killed at such a young age, the victim’s mother reflected on the lasting impact the situation will have on her grandchildren.

“She did everything for those boys. It’s devastating. It really is,” Berry said.

Later this week, the family plans to hold a vigil and funeral ceremony for the young mother, WHIO reports.

Black motherDomestic-violenceKendall-BeasleyShanika-BoganTracie-Berry