Loved ones hold candlelight vigil for Kenosha woman found murdered in her home

KENOSHA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Friends and family gathered outside a Kenosha home Tuesday night, Sept. 14, to honor the life of Janine Sznitko. They spoke more of the troubled relationship she had with the man who ultimately killed her.

Family members say Roberto Andino was not an ex-boyfriend. He was a man she was introduced to by friends at a bar. They say he then began to stalk her, and that police told her they couldn't do anything about it.

"I'm gonna miss Janine so much," said Janine's mother, Diane Gorsuch.

Gorsuch lives in Arizona. She says the two were apart, but still inseparable.

"She called me all the time. She would text me. She would do her little cute emojis, you know, with the mom and daughter," said Gorsuch.

Thirty-five-year-old Janine Sznitko was found dead in her Kenosha home Sept. 4. She'd been shot in the chest. 

Sznitko had texted her fears to a friend, saying if anything happens to me, tell the cops to look at Roberto Andino. 

Days later, police discovered Andino barricaded inside a Chicago motel, and Sznitko's SUV in the lot. 

Police say he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Neighbors, friends and family gathered outside Sznitko's home Tuesday night, lighting candles, praying and remembering Sznitko as a cool, smart, friendly woman who loved animals. When asked by her boss what she wanted to be doing in the future, she said she wanted his job.

"You needed help, she was always there. She spoke highly of everybody here, including all the neighbors," said Janine's stepdad. 

Sznitko was born in Lake Forest, Illinois. She lived in Kenosha for the last five years, where neighbors often saw her walking her dog, Foxy.

"Just being with her, my heart's breaking. It just -- that jerk killed her and he had no reason to," said Gorsuch.

A memorial visitation will be held Wednesday, Sept. 15, in Zion, Illinois. 

Family says Janine's dog is now being cared for by a cousin. 

Her mom says Janine loved her pets so much, and is reunited now with those who had gone before her.