When Nilsa Romero had her second son, Emilio, she was a stay-at-home mom for two years, which she was not able to do with her other two children. As a result, she and Emilio had an especially close relationship.
“I would never say I have a favorite child, because as a mother you just don’t say things like that,” Nilsa said. “But Emilio had a special place in my heart.”
Emilio was very intelligent and did well in school. In eighth grade, he was accepted into a magnet program. He graduated from Northeast Philadelphia High School in June 2010 and was set to begin classes at Orleans Technical College in October of that year.
On Sept. 28, 2010, Emilio told Nilsa that he was going to a friend’s house.
“I told him that I want you home early because I have to work in the morning and I can’t go to sleep knowing you’re out there,” Nilsa said. “‘He said, ‘Mom, I’ll come home early.’ He gave me a kiss on my forehead and that was the last time I had ever seen my son alive.”
A few hours later, Emilio was shot and killed as he sat with some friends in his car, which was parked on the block where he lived, the 7200 block of Rupert Street in Northeast Philladelphia. No arrests have been made.
“There’s not a second in my day that doesn’t remind me of him,” Nilsa said. “I could be sick in bed and he would be the one to comfort me, to take care of me, to make sure his mom was okay. It would be Emilio. ”
Emilio was born Dec. 15, 1991 in Philadelphia to Nilsa and his father, Emilio Lopez. He had an older brother, Anthony, and a younger sister, Mileena.
Nilsa raised them on her own, and her hard work was not lost on Emilio. She did all she could to set her kids up for success. She provided for them while they were in school, preferring that they focus on their studies rather than working.
“He’d always tell me, ‘I want to go to school and get a good job and help you,’” she said. “I did everything on my own and he saw my struggles.”
Emilio was interested in music and dreamed of being a successful rapper. He also loved food, particularly Spanish cooking, and his favorite holiday was Thanksgiving because it revolves around eating.
Nilsa describes her son as “such a humble kid. Nothing ever bothered him. It was rare to see him angry — he was always smiling and laughing. He was just a good kid and he never gave me any problems.”
Emilio was close to his brother and sister and always looked out for them. He walked his sister, who is four years younger, to and from school every day.
Life hasn’t been the same in the nearly 10 years since Emilio’s death. Nilsa has tried to go on with living her life, given that she now has four grandchildren: two grandsons and two granddaughters.
“Life has blessed me in a different way,” she said. “Nothing will ever replace Emilio, but it’s hard. To this day, I wake up every day and ask God to give me that closure. I want justice for my son. I just want to know why. Why did you take my son’s life away?”
Nilsa has visited her son at Oakland Cemetery every week since his death. An eternal candle on his grave has stayed lit all this time.
A reward of up to $20,000 if available to anyone that comes forward with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for Emilio’s murder. Anonymous calls can be submitted by calling the Citizens Crime Commission at 215-546-TIPS.
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