The fiancé of reporter Eliana Moreno, who died in an NBC Los Angeles helicopter crash, has spoken publicly for the first time since the tragedy.
Robert Barrientos paid tribute to Moreno in an Instagram post late Tuesday, one week after the devastating incident.
“I know I’ve been truly blessed to have experienced the love I shared with her in this life. Eliana was simply amazing — loving, kind, compassionate, giving, intelligent and extremely silly,” he wrote.
Barrientos, a former radio anchor and native of Kankakee, Illinois, also remembered the couple’s plans to eventually move to Tennessee.
“We had plans to one day retire and move to Tennessee, have some land and care for some animals. Although those dreams are over, her memory will live in my heart and soul forever,” he wrote.
As he mourns Moreno, Barrientos said her family has provided him with much-needed support.
“I want to thank my sons Andrew and Brian, my family, Eliana’s father and the rest of her family for showing me so much love during the hardest time of my life,” he continued.
The NewsChopper 4 crash in Chatsworth, California, claimed the lives of three people: Moreno, pilot George Marciniw and 29-year-old pedestrian Edy Gutierrez Mejia.