‘Inspirational’ special education teacher shot dead in Colorado, one accused of murder

A special education teacher in Colorado is dead and her ex-boyfriend allegedly is now a suspect in her slaying.

Melissa Wright, 41, was found shot to death in a Denver neighborhood on May 29. Police took Eric Cobain, 49, into custody for investigation for the first-degree murder of the math teacher who taught children with severe educational disabilities.Cobain was arrested on May 29.

Wright had recently broken up with Cobain, KMGH-TV reported, citing family.

“She lived life to the fullest," said the victim’s mother, Judy Wright, according to the station. “She worked hard. She studied hard. She played hard. And she loved to travel.”

“It's been the worst time of my life,” Wright’s daughter, Morgan Becwar, said about losing her mother to murder. “I feel like a big chunk of me was taken with her, and I'm never going to get it back.”

In March, teacher Kristin Louise wrote that her colleague at Cherry Creek Schools consistently went “the extra mile for her students, whether it’s helping them start a business or get access to critical supplies.”

In one instance, a family struggling financially around the holidays shared with Wright their worries about affording even basic school supplies. The teacher immediately gathered donations from the community to help.

Louise noted the victim had “so much empathy and intuition for how to support students” and called her “inspirational.”