OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — A friend of murdered mother Nicole Montalvo is leading the charge to protect others from domestic violence.

Tamara Greene hangs on to pictures she has of when she and Nicole Montalvo worked together in 2015, what Greene remembers as good times.

Last October, Montalvo was found dismembered in the home of her in-laws in St. Cloud, according to authorities. Montalvo was in the middle of divorcing her estranged husband Christopher Otero-Rivera. The two shared the custody of their 8-year-old son.  

Greene does not live in St. Cloud anymore but that did not stop her anger from turning into action in the form of a petition.

"She had one of the best hearts that I've ever seen also and that's why she's so close to my heart and that's why I am doing this all," Greene said. 

The petition, which people can check out here, has more than 19,000 signatures. Greene is asking state lawmakers to make a domestic violence charge, a felony.

"So I feel like if they crack down the first time, a lot of it could be avoided," she added. 

The State Attorney's Office released more than 1,000 pages of evidence related to the case. In the documents, text messages that Montalvo wrote to a friend stated that she feared for her life.

"I am terrified but I need to stay strong for myself and mainly (for my son). (Son) said, 'Mommy stay away from daddy,'" one of the messages stated.

U.S. Sen. Victor Torres oversees Osceola County. He is a retired law enforcement officer from New York who supports the petition.

"It's about time we started making some laws protecting those victims from these horrendous acts that lead to their death," Torres said.  

Torres said that due to timing with the current legislative session he would look at 2021 to file a bill like this. In the meantime, Torres said he is going to try to introduce an amendment in the criminal justice committee. 

Torres is not the only lawmaker weighing in. Florida House Rep. Mike La Rosa said he has been following the Montalvo case and is also interested in legislative remedies to avoid something like this from happening again. 

Greene a domestic violence survivor said Montalvo's story is the story of many others and hopes to see a change in the way the law handles these situations. "A lot of people are in fear, and I want to figure out solutions," Greene added.