For Alex Spors, it is important to talk about how his mother Carrie Zettel lived her life helping and caring for others.
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Zettel, 64, was killed at her home on Milwaukee's south side on October 12. Spors' sister, 29-year-old Lauren Spors, is charged with homicide, accused of beating their mother to death with a rock.
Alex is still trying to process the loss.
"A lot of incoherent thoughts right now. I don't know if I'm processing it accurately or correctly. I'm just taking it one step at a time," Alex told TMJ4.
Zettel, a mother of three, loved music and gardening. Before she suffered health challenges, Alex said they would ride bicycles together often. Alex says she would call him to sing "Happy Birthday" every year.
"It's going to be kind of rough, she's not going to be around for that," Alex said.
Alex explained that his mother was basically a full-time caretaker for Lauren, who he says battled mental illness over the last decade.
"My mom has tried to get help however she could.We didn’t have a lot of money growing up. My mom didn’t have a lot of money. She was on disability. So she was doing everything she could," Alex stated. "My mom had the best interests for my sister at heart."
Watch: 'I'm taking it one step at a time': A son mourns his mother after her violent death
Alex says Lauren's struggle became more apparent as she grew older. He kept his distance because she could be violent.
"Despite the danger that she (Zettel) put herself in, she was just there to try and make my sister have a better life," Alex said.
According to court records, Lauren was found incompetent to stand trial in four previous separate cases, including battery.
MPD call history shows officers were called to Zettel's south side home four times on October 12, including twice before she was attacked.
According to police, around 3:30 a.m. Sunday officers responded to the home, talked to the people involved, and left. After noon they were called for a welfare check, but dispatch canceled the squad after the patient left.
"This didn't happen in a vacuum," Alex stressed. "In my opinion, what is behind the headline is years and years of institutional failures."
Through his grief, Alex says he is trying to embody his mother's caring nature.
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