'He's a monster': Family demands justice after they say boyfriend killed mother of 5 in Racine
UPDATED: Nov. 12, 2025, at 10:15 p.m.
RACINE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A family says their hearts are shattered after they say their loved one, 37-year-old Joyce Lee Bongo was killed by her boyfriend.
"We keep saying why, why did he do this?" said Bonita Blue Legs, Bongo's Mother. "What was going on in his head?"
Blue Legs says she was left shocked and devastated when she found out her daughter had left South Dakota with her boyfriend to Wisconsin.
"It was shocking for us to know that she was so far away, because we didn’t even know she was there," said Rita Rogers, Bongo's cousin. "He took her there, that’s where some of his family is from."
Police say Monday morning they got a call from Joyce's boyfriend, Benjamin Chipps that Bongo was unresponsive at a home along 17th and Holmes in Racine.
When police arrived, they say they found Joyce with multiple teeth knocked out, significant facial bruising and other injuries on her body. She was then taken to the hospital where she died suffering from multiple blunt force injuries.
"I don’t know why he had to go and do this to her because it's really hard on everyone the kids, the community and everybody is just angry," said Blue Legs.
Joyce's family says the two had been dating for a few months and says the person who was supposed to love and protect their loved one, took her away from them forever.
"He's a monster and he deserves to spend the rest of his life in jail," said Blue Legs.
Chipps is being charged with first degree intentional homicide, domestic abuse assessments.
Joyce's family says they want justice for the woman they say was a mother of five and could always find a way to make those around her smile.
"We just want him to rot in jail and sit there day after day," said Blue Leggs. "I think life without the possibly of parole, so he can think about what he did for the rest of his time on Earth."
Federal court documents show Chipps was previously convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a 16-year-old back in 2001 and failed to register as a sex offender.
He's currently being held on a $750,000 bond.
There's a GoFundMe to support the family here.
If you or a loved one is experiencing domestic violence, please don't hesitate to reach out to any of these Milwaukee area resources:
National Domestic Violence Hotline*: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
Sojourner Family Peace Center: (414) 933-272
The Asha Project: (414) 252-007
Hmong American Women's Association: (414) 930-9352
UMOS Latina Resource Center: (414) 389-651
Our Peaceful Home: (414) 727-1090
Diverse and Resilient: (414) 856-LGBT (5428
Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center: (414) 383-9526
Milwaukee Women's Center: (414) 671-6140
RACINE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Racine police are investigating the death of a 37-year-old woman Monday, Nov. 10.
Officers responded to a home near 17th and Holmes Avenue around 8:30 a.m. and found the victim suffering from what they describe as multiple "suspicious" injuries.
The woman was taken to an area hospital where she died.
Police say the incident is being treated as a domestic abuse-related homicide.
A 46-year-old man was arrested for first degree intentional homicide.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Racine Police Department Investigations Unit at 262-635-7756, or to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 262-636-9330.