A mother in Waterbury is demanding justice after her son was stabbed to death just days before his 15th birthday.
Darlene Morales shared her heartbreak exclusively with NBC Connecticut Friday.
The mother of three wanted her son, the oldest, to see the world.
She had planned to surprise him with a trip to Florida this weekend, “We were going to leave Sunday morning just wake him up with a, ‘Happy birthday we’re going on a trip.’”
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
Instead of celebrating his birthday Sunday in the Sunshine State, Angel Valez was killed Wednesday.
Waterbury police say the teen was stabbed and died after an altercation, which Valez’ mother finds hard to believe.
“He loved playing basketball, he had good grades, he was never in any trouble.”
Local
She added, “There was no fight. This man was just a bully.”
A 27-year-old believed to be suffering from mental illness is behind bars accused of killing the teen.
“My son was 14 years old. You’re a grown man, my son didn’t deserve that. Mental health or not my son did not deserve that.”
Now Valez’ family is planning his funeral, instead of his birthday party.
“We want justice for Angel and for every other kid. This is happening every day out there. This is not fair,” she said.