Murder Victim's Family Protests Denver Police Department

DENVER (CBS4) - The family of a woman police say was murdered by her husband led a protest of the Denver Police Department on Friday. They say if they had done more Loretta Rosa would still be alive.

Christopher Perea, 41, is in custody for the murder of his wife early last Sunday morning. Some say the crime could have been prevented and cries for help were ignored. They gathered in front of the Denver Police District 4 headquarters to criticize the response.

A neighbor called police to the couple's home saying Rosa, 44, was being dragged inside. It took an hour for an officer to arrive, and then he looked inside but saw no one and left.

"I would have kicked in that door. My niece would have been alive today," Rosa's Aunt Yvonne Roll said.

Six hours after the first call, Perea called to say he was inside and his wife was dead.

On Friday family and friends carried signs claiming District 4 had failed to respond, demanding what they called justice for Rosa and her family.

"They aren't even telling us anything. All we know is a dispatcher was put on paid leave," Rosa's sister Phyllis Rosa said.

The demonstration did not end there. They marched off to cars and headed downtown to the Capitol where their criticism of the police continued.

"The lady was screaming bloody murder for the police to help," Rosa's Uncle John Halverson said. "My niece was being beaten to death in her own home."

Nobody blames the police for the beating, but they wonder if Rosa might have survived had they acted differently.