Children of 71-year-old woman killed by habitual criminal react to the trial, life sentence
HOUSTON - "I miss her saying everything is going to be ok. Because right now, it feels like it's not," said Martha Medina's, daughter Lourdes Medina.
Martha's three children spent several days in a courtroom hearing details they didn't know about that fall day in 2021 when 41-year-old Andrew Williams ran over her in a McDonald's parking lot just to steal her purse.
BACKGROUND: Authorities identify woman run over during purse-snatching in east Harris County
"The hurt is still there," said Martha's daughter, who also goes by Martha. "It just feels like yesterday, like everything happened yesterday, the emotions come back a lot of things were new to us."
"We for the first time saw her last moments," said Martha's son Adrian Medina.
A question nagging Adrian Medina was finally answered. What were his mother's last words.
"She was praying and that she would repeat over and over, she didn't want to die," he said.
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A question many people had: Why was Williams free?
Even his lengthy rap sheet and a capital murder charge didn't stop 248th Criminal District Court Judge Hillary Unger from granting him a $150,000 bond.
"If he wouldn't have been outside walking the streets free, then this could have been avoided, and my mom would still be here with us," said Martha Medina.
"The way in which we lost her was unfathomable," said Adrian Medina. "We still to this day can't understand why."
SUGGESTED: Andrew Williams found guilty of capital murder of Martha Medina in Harris County in 2021
The family hopes Martha's senseless death will make judges think twice before granting bonds to capital murder defendants especially since they don't have to.
"Now I understand a judge would have had discretion to have kept him in jail." Adrian Medina said.
"I've cried these past two days since the verdict was given, and I walk feeling this emptiness I felt when it happened," Lourdes Medina said.
"We felt empty," said Adrian Medina. "If there's one word that all three of us siblings gathered around was empty."
"After the trial was done, I actually looked up at the sky. I told my mom you can fly, you're free, justice has been served," said Martha Medina.
"To not worry about us," Lourdes Medina said. "We will find the strength to go through this, and for her to just watch over us, and pray for us that we find healing and forgiveness, so we can also be free,"
"To her, I'd like to say that I love her too, safe travels, and that she will forever be in my heart," Adrian Medina said.