Family Seeks Justice For Vietnam War Veteran Attacked Inside His Bronx Home
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A Vietnam War veteran was viciously attacked inside his Bronx home, leaving him close to brain dead.
Now, his family is looking for justice.
"Our family is broken apart. We're broken," Vilmaris Hodge said, holding back her tears. "He doesn't deserve this. He's in critical, he's in critical, his brain is gone. We don't know if we are going to get our dad back. And if we do, he is not going to be the same person."
Her father, 71-year-old William Boyd is hospitalized, fighting for his life. His family says he suffered major head trauma.
"He survived the war, he survived cancer, and to be taken out like this is just so wrong," said Hodge.
"It's just overwhelming to believe that I am not going to be able to have another conversation with him," son William Boyd said.
Police said the elder Boyd was attacked inside his Parkchester home last Tuesday night. They believe five men broke through his apartment door after he got into a dispute over money with one of the attackers an hour earlier.
"I don't think any amount of money owed would be worth doing this to anybody," said his son.
Boyd is a father of five. One of his sons followed in his footsteps and joined the armed forces after hearing his stories about the Vietnam War.
"Every night that I spend alone, cold, hot, wherever I am – whether I'm in the desert, whether I'm in training -- I always think to myself, 'This is what my dad went through,'" son Matthew Boyd said.
The family is not giving up on catching their dad's attackers, plastering $2,000 reward posters around the neighborhood in hopes someone comes forward.
"I don't know what would possess anyone to do something like this, but I hope something else possesses them to do the right thing about it," said William.
Police have yet to make an arrest and are still investigating. They said there were working video cameras in the building, but the images are too blurry to make out any faces.