My daughter, Demi Brae Cuccia was born at home, August 14,1991 in Austell Ga. She was murdered by her boyfriend at the age of 16, Demi was a middle child with an older brother and a younger sister. She always had a smile decorated with dimples. We moved back to our hometown of Monroeville Pa when Demi was three. We became a single parent family in 1996. Demi and her siblings were home schooled, however, do to the change in our family dynamic, public school was introduced, this was a difficult adjustment, especially for Demi. In the 6th grade Demi was diagnosed with ITP a disorder that affected her platelets, she was a very sick little girl. She was hospitalized several times in a thirteen month period. She was healed at age 14, her faith in Jesus grew deep. Demi was thankful and took nothing for granted. She loved to visit Conneaut Lake in the summers. As she grew she loved Cheering for Gateway High School. Demi enjoyed being creative, she loved animals, children, friends and enjoyed family time. Demi was resilient and a deep thinker, she was wise beyond her age. Demi met John Mullarkey when she was 15; I believe like all young girls she felt impressed that a boy liked her. This relationship was off and on because she wasn't allowed to “Date,” however she spent time with John because he was her older brother’s friend and he visited our home. Looking back at the signs that I wished I knew then, she seemed frustrated and emotional, I thought it was a “Normal” way a teen might react to a situation. Demi's behavior was not normal, it was a warning sign that we all missed. August 15, 2007, one Day after her 16th birthday, Demi was murdered by John in our home. She was stabbed 16 times. John now serves a life sentence with out the possibility of parole…
In a different way so do we.
