Family, friends of Valley woman killed by her boyfriend hold vigil in her honor

PHOENIX (FOX 10) - We're following a heartbreaking story of a woman shot and killed by her boyfriend before police say he murdered two of their three children. Dasia Patterson's friends held a vigil for her on Sunday.

Phoenix Police say 30-year-old Austin Smith suspected Dasia Patterson of cheating on him before he killed her. But her best friend tells us he was out of his mind and those accusations are completely false.

Tonight, she wants to focus on her best friend's life and what a loving mother she was to her three daughters Nasha, Mayan, and Naquia.

She says Patterson was full of positivity and uplifting to her loved ones. The vigil is also for her two oldest daughters, 7- and 5-years-old.

Police say they were murdered along with their mother inside their apartment. Patterson's youngest child just turned 3 on Saturday and sadly, she had to watch what happened to her mother and siblings.

Known as a hard worker and doing her best to raise her three daughters, all young children under the age of 7. Tragically, police say they witnessed their father, 30-year-old Austin Smith, shoot and kill their mother before he allegedly murdered their two oldest daughters.

Patterson's surviving child, Naquia, is with Child Protective Services.