MILWAUKEE — Renesia Thompson was “a loving, caring, full-of-life person” who put others’ needs before her own, her mother says. She loved her family, her two boys, her niece and nephew, and was grounded in faith and active in her church.
Now, the 29-year-old Milwaukee woman is being remembered by relatives after she was found shot to death late Friday night in a car at Estabrook Park.
Previous Coverage: Neighbor hears gunshots before woman found dead in car Friday night at Estabrook Park
The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed her identity, and her mother, Eddricka Wagner, told TMJ4 her daughter’s smile “would just light up the room and melt your heart.”
Authorities say the suspect, 28-year-old Jalun Cotton, died by suicide early Saturday inside a home on the 3600 block of North 19th Street. The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office said the gun he used to kill himself was the same weapon used in Thompson’s killing, which investigators are calling a domestic violence case.
Wagner told TMJ4 that Thompson and Cotton met in Texas, started a relationship and moved up to Milwaukee a few years ago.
Watch: Family remembers woman killed in domestic violence-related shooting in Estabrook Park
Court records show Cotton had a documented history of abusing Thompson. In June 2025, prosecutors charged him with misdemeanor battery, disorderly conduct and criminal damage after he allegedly forced his way into her home, assaulted her, and damaged her bathroom door. While out on bail under orders to have no contact, prosecutors say he attacked her again in September, leaving her with facial fractures, broken teeth and impaired vision. He was charged with felony stalking resulting in bodily harm, battery and bail jumping.
“My daughter...was loved by family, friends and the community,” Wagner said. “Now my child that I love is gone because the state and the system dropped the ball.”
Wagner is now focused on getting her daughter back home to Texas.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence in Milwaukee, help is available. You can call the Sojourner Family Peace Center’s 24-hour Domestic Violence Hotline at (414) 933-2722. The Wisconsin Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or by texting “START” to 88788. In an emergency, call 911.
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