Left in the basement and found by her children.
It's a chilling case News 5 has followed in Garfield Heights for almost two months.
Police arrested Monte Woodley, Lavora Allen's husband, and charged him with her murder this week.
Allen was found dead in her home on May 1.
Her family is still reeling, but gathered on their front porch Thursday afternoon to talk to News 5 about the charges and moving forward.
"She was free spirited! She laughed she smiled," India Allen said about her sister.
Lavora is described as strong and caring with a contagious smile.
"Something that was very precious to all of us," Allen's best friend Danessa Copeland said.
Copeland said she'll never be able to get that day out of her mind.
"Hearing my goddaughter scream, because she found her mother," Copeland said. "Her son running to me. His eyes huge."
Detectives say Lavora Allen was strangled.
Allen's family says they saw the charges coming.
"She wanted to give this man the benefit of the doubt," Allen's aunt, Sandra Allen, said.
"I knew he done killed my daughter," Bevra Allen added.
The two were married for less than 4 months.
"My gut feeling was something was wrong," Sandra Allen said.
This isn't the first time Woodley's faced criminal charges. He was previously convicted for felonious assault, domestic violence, and attempted robbery. He also spent three years in prison for a felonious assault charge he pled guilty to years ago.
"I want him to sit there and rot. Every day I want him to think about this," India Allen said.
The Allen family says there's still a long road ahead, but, no matter what, Lavora Allen's death will not be in vain.
"She died for me, she died for all women or men being abused," Copeland said.
"The message I want to get out is sometimes you really need to speak up. You can be with a person and not really know who they are," India Allen added.
Detectives in Garfield Heights have not released any information from the investigation that led to Woodley's arrest. He is being held on a $1 million bond.
