TYLER, Texas — Following the alleged murder of an East Texas woman by her boyfriend, Marilyn McEachin's family is mourning the loss of their loved one. Her nephew Maurice Taylor said he's in total shock by her sudden death.
Pain and disbelief -- that is how Taylor and his family are feeling after learning about the death of his great aunt.
Taylor said he saw his aunt just a few weeks ago at a funeral for McEachin’s brother. So learning about her death raised some red flags.
“She was full of laughter, she was healthy and had no health problems,” Taylor said. “So I knew something wasn't right.”
On Monday morning, firefighters reported one woman was found dead while they responded to a house fire on Shady Trail Drive in Tyler. Later that day, police said the incident is under investigation as a homicide.
According to the arrest documents, Gregory Bargaineer, McEachin’s boyfriend, is accused of murdering her and then setting their house on fire. He remains in the Smith County Jail on a $750,000 bond.
“Some of the statements he made about the relationship between him and the female led us to know that he had been responsible for her death,” said Andy Erbaugh, spokesperson for the Tyler Police Department.
Bargaineer later turned himself in to authorities, telling police he had poured gasoline on his girlfriend.
“I never got that feeling from him that he would do something like this,” Taylor said.
McEachin, whose family lives in Lubbock, first learned of her death when police showed up at their door.
“We've heard all we needed to hear. The only thing that I want is justice, as far as him never seeing another free day at his the rest of his life,” Taylor said.
A home that McEachin had lived in for over 20 years is now reduced to nothing but memories for a grieving family.
Now, Taylor and several close relatives are salvaging what they can trying to piece together their lives and move forward after the sudden loss.
“We're going to get through this with prayer. That's pretty much all we can do,” Taylor said. “Pray and understand that God is in control. We'll forgive, but we'll never forget.”
With McEachin gone, her relatives are remembering her as a generous person with a big heart.
“My aunt was an amazing person and always had a smile on her face,” Taylor said. “All we can do as a family is keep loving like she did.”
RELATED: DOCUMENTS: Tyler man accused of killing his girlfriend threw gasoline on her as he faced eviction
CBS19 is available live and on-demand on your favorite TV streaming device, anytime from anywhere in the U.S.
The free CBS19+ app for Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and smart TV devices features a 24/7 stream with the latest from CBS19.
In addition to the live stream, watch the latest from CBS19 on-demand, along with additional programming from our partners at TEGNA (like Verify, "Murder at My Door" and "In the News") and Locked On Sports, plus special collections from CBS19 like Under the Lights, Hooked on East Texas and CBS19 Originals.
DOWNLOAD ON ROKU
Add the free CBS19 channel by searching for CBS19 East Texas News in the Roku Channel Store on your device, or add the CBS19+ Roku channel using this link.
DOWNLOAD ON FIRE TV
Search for the free CBS19+ app in the Amazon App Store directly on your Fire TV or Fire TV Stick, or add the CBS19+ Fire TV app using this link.
DOWNLOAD ON APPLE TV
Learn more about the free CBS19+ app in the Apple TV App Store and download directly from your Apple TV device.
DOWNLOAD ON YOUR SMART TV
The CBS19+ app is also now available directly on "smart" or "connected" televisions made by Samsung, LG and Philips, as well as televisions with Android TV. Search for CBS19 East Texas News in your television's app store to add CBS19+.
OTHER FREE WAYS TO WATCH
The CBS19+ 24/7 stream can be viewed on any desktop or mobile web browser anytime on the Watch page here on cbs19.tv.