OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – Larissa Barros feared for her and her family's safety for two years because of the "unstable and jealous" behavior of the father of her son.
The 18-year-old Liberty High School senior was found shot to death Thursday in her Poinciana home after the man she feared violated a no-contact order and showed up at her house.
Deputies have not officially said that Kai Williams, 20, killed Barros, but Osceola County Sheriff’s Office Cpt. Jacob Ruiz said it appears that Williams was the shooter.
Williams shot and killed himself as deputies tried to make contact with him after receiving a 911 call from Barros' home.
Two weeks from her high school graduation, Barros was found at the home on Blackpool Way, where the 911 call originated, and was pronounced dead at the scene, deputies said.
In the two years leading up to Barros' murder, records show that she and her mother filed multiple domestic-violence injunctions against Williams and avoided all communication with him.
One in three women who are killed by their abusive partners are killed after they leave the relationship, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
“That’s the most dangerous time for someone, when they make the decision to leave their abuser,” Harbor House of Central Florida CEO Michelle Sperzel said.
[WATCH at the top of the story, Harbor House CEO discusses dating violence]
Barros and Williams had a child together. Barros' Facebook page is filled with photos of her and her young son together.
Court records show Williams had started paying child support three months ago.
Barros’ mother, Delfina Monteiro, filed a domestic-violence injunction Sept. 6 in Osceola County against Williams on behalf of her daughter after he slashed Barros' tires in the Liberty High School parking lot and came back to set the car on fire, according to Osceola County Sheriff's Office arrest records.
When deputies arrived at Liberty High School on Sept 4, they said Barros’ Chevy Cobalt was fully engulfed in flames.
Barros told deputies that she left her car at school Sept. 2 after she received a text from a friend that said someone had slashed all her tires. She identified the suspect as her ex-boyfriend and the father of their child, deputies said.
Detectives said that before the arson, Williams searched online for “if there (is) any way to tell if CCTV is on or not?” and “how to know if a security camera is on.”
Williams was charged with arson and aggravated stalking, according to court records. Monteiro's domestic-violence injunction filed on behalf of Barros was granted.
"Kai Williams has anger towards my daughter because of the current paternity case we have filed," Monteiro wrote.
Monteiro wrote that Williams repeatedly came to her home and her daughter would not open the door “out of fear.” She said Williams continued to say that he wanted to be a family with Barros.
“Kai still has this delusional idea of a family even after my daughter has expressed how much she wants to be alone,” Monteiro wrote.
He continued to send the victim text messages and post to her social media accounts after Barros repeatedly asked him to leave her alone, records show.
Williams posted a video of himself at a gun shop on Instagram in an attempt to scare Barros, her mother said.
Monteiro said she had bought her daughter the car that Williams burned so she could drive her son and get to school.
“I am afraid for all of my family’s safety and want to be protected from Kai B. Williams,” Monteiro wrote.
Despite multiple injunctions and Barros documenting the harassment, Sperzel said those steps are key in prosecuting a perpetrator, but more can be done by victims to protect themselves.
"An injunction is still just a piece of paper; it allows them to start the legal process to hold someone accountable," Sperzel said.
Organizations such as Harbor House of Central Florida offer safety-planning resources.
Domestic-violence victims should avoid places alone and make sure someone always knows where they are, she said.
Williams violated the no-contact order in December by calling Barros from a new number. She reported the incident to law enforcement.
Williams told her he wanted to see and talk to her because “he knows he’s going to jail for a long time,” she wrote in another domestic-violence injunction request filed in January.
Williams repeatedly came to Barros’ home and knocked on the door, and she refused to open it each time, she wrote.
“For almost two years my life has been made miserable by Kai Williams,” Barros wrote. “He is currently in jail (on) violation of probation charges and aggravated stalking charges with me as the victim.
“I feel very unsafe, myself and anyone around me are in danger, Kai has been unstable and jealous. I am afraid he will hurt me or my child if he gets the opportunity.”
There are currently two domestic violence-related bills in front of Florida Gov. Rick Scott. One would require increased jail time for convicted abusers after repeat offenses. Another would require that offenders complete an intervention program as a condition of their probation.
But as Sperzel points out every case is different.
“It all depends on the perpetrator. Different people respond to different things,” she said. “For some people, (jail) won’t be a deterrent.”
Victims of domestic violence can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline, available 24 hours a day, at 1-800-799-7233 or the Harbor House 24-hour confidential crisis hotline at 407-886-2856.