Children Of Slain NYPD Detective Move Into New Home In Time For Christmas
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The children of slain NYPD Detective Miosotis Familia have moved into their new home just in time for Christmas.
The detective's 20-year-old daughter Genesis Villella said she and her 12-year-old siblings -- Delilah and Peter -- are eternally grateful to the thousands of strangers who made it all possible.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation, Daily News Fund and Skyview Towers came up with the more than $800,000 to cover the cost of the fully-furnished, three-bedroom co-op overlooking the Hudson River in Riverdale.
Maintenance payments will also be covered until the kids are through school.
Villella said seeing their new home for the first time took their breath away.
"Seeing the final unveiling of this apartment evoked a lot of emotions," she said.
"There was a lot of gasps and screams. When Peter saw his room he just launched himself on his bed," she added.
The children will spend their first Christmas in their new home without their mother, who was gunned down in an "unprovoked attack" on July 5 as she sat in a marked police van in the Bronx.
"It's going to be really hard during the holidays, but it's going to be really nice for me and my siblings to be able to start off the new year on a good note in a beautiful home," said Villella.
She plans to use the new kitchen to prepare a holiday feast for her and her siblings. It will be her first ever attempt at baking an entire chicken, as her mom would have done, CBS2's Dave Carlin reported.
Maintaining her mother's holiday traditions are just part of building on a strong family bond, tested by extreme adversity and grief.
"When this horrible thing happened to her, it wasn't hard at all for me to make the decision that I need to step in and assume that parental role," Villella said.
Familia's children said they're glad to be in Riverdale, because the twins won't have to change schools.
"It's the opening of a new chapter, a new sense of security for them," said Marilyn Bennett Wegh, of Skyview Apartments.
"We can at least enjoy the lifestyle that my mom really wanted us to have," said Villella.
A set of shelves in the living room will hold Familia's photographs, tributes and awards.
