Exclusive: Daughter Of Dorchester Murder Victim Seeks Answers
BOSTON (CBS) - Cynthia Williams is searching for answers, and for the strength to forgive after her mother, Mary Miller, was murdered in her Dorchester home.
Cynthia says, "She was a caring and giving very supportive person. She just loved to make herself available to people. She served." She says her mom was quiet, with a sense of human. "A lot of people cared about her, and she cared about a lot of people."
Mary was murdered in her Dorchester home in the middle of the night, "I was shocked. I couldn't believe it." Cynthia says Mary had been reading her bible in bed, when the intruder broke in and she fought for her life. Cynthia says there are trails of blood in the dining room and kitchen. Mary's 8-year-old granddaughter was home at the time. She hid during the attack, then went over to try to help her grandmother. When Mary wouldn't move, she called 911.
WBZ-TV's Karen Anderson reports
Now Cynthia is outraged to learn 28-year-old Tu Nguyen, the man charged with breaking into Mary's home and stabbing her to death, wasn't supposed to be anywhere near the property. In January, his mother, who lives on the second floor, took out a restraining order. She says Nguyen assaulted and threatened to kill his sister and her.
Mary wasn't aware of the restraining order, Cynthia says. "It is something she should have known. I think something needs to be done with that system. There definitely needs to be a change in that system."
Cynthia is especially upset because her mother had been the victim of recent vandalism. Someone had been breaking her window every couple weeks. She was suspicious, and asked about Nguyen and his family, but Cynthia says she was always told that he stays in his room and watches TV. She was never told of his violent behavior, Cynthia says. "She was afraid for herself knowing her windows were being broken," says Cynthia. "Imagine knowing there is someone on the premises that shouldn't be there because of their threats to other people."
The outcome I strongly believe would have been different. That's vital information. That's information she should have been aware of."
Cynthia says she wants to see the system changed, and she wants answers from Nguyen's family. She also wants to hold Nguyen accountable. "It angers me, but like my mom, she was the kind of person who didn't harbor that anger for a long time. I am trying to hold onto that anger because it doesn't produce anything positive."
