Friend remembers young woman allegedly shot to death by her boyfriend as a 'beautiful soul'

A family friend of Darian Hailey Henderson-Bellman describes the 25-year-old woman as a "beautiful soul."

Henderson-Bellman was fatally shot insidea Brampton home Tuesday.Her27-year-old boyfriend, Darnell Reid,is charged with second-degree murder in her death.

"She was such a beautiful person," said Jennifer Vitelli, a long-time friend ofHenderson-Bellman's family.

"She took care of people. She saw the good in people. She was so selfless and at the end of theday, she just wanted to make sure people were okay, including Darnell."

Henderson-Bellman's mother, Michelle Jones, spoke about her daughter inan emotional video posted on Facebook.

"I'm so broken," she said."She was so loved."

Vitelli has known the family since she was a toddler andsaid Henderson-Bellman and her motherhad a very special bond.

"The relationshipbetween the two of them was just unbreakable and nowshe's lost someone so dear to her heart."

Reid has history of domestic violence, firearm offences

The fatal shootinghappened just weeks after Reid was conditionally released following an arrestin connection with a firearms offence earlier this year.

He was arrested for possession of an illegal firearm in May, Peel Regional Police saidFriday.

Police said Reid hadregularly ignored his bail conditionsandcontinued topossess illegal firearms, butwas still released back into the community with a GPS monitoring device after only six days in custody.

At the time of the shooting, hewas also subject to aninterim judicial release stemming from a previous domestic violence incident between himself and Henderson-Bellman.

Police said Reid had been arrested on four separate occasions forbreaching the terms of his bail by contacting her.

Peel police Chief Nishan Duraiappah expressed anger at the decision to release Reid given his prior unwillingness to abide by his release conditions.

He called the decision a"complete failure of our justice system to protect [Henderson-Bellman]."

Peel police Const.Heather Cannon said there is only so much officerscan do.

"Once we put [a matter] before the courts, it's out of our hands," she said.

'The whole system has to change'

"It's horrifying," said Judy Rebick, a writer and renownedfeminist activist.

"This guy was a walking example of who was at top risk of killing his partner," she said.

"It makes me furious that in 2020, a judge doesn't know enough about male violence against women tolet someone with this record go."

Rebickbelievesthe entire criminal justice system needs a transformation.

"There still is not enough attention and understanding of male violence against women and that means the whole system has to change," she said.

Vitelli said she's "disgusted" to know that Reid was released even though she believed he posed a threat to Henderson-Bellman.

"They knew that she was scared for her life," she said. "They knew that he had firearms."

"How many gun charges does a guy need to have in order for him to stay in jail,knowing that a 25-year-old girl who has her whole life ahead of her is in danger of this man?"