Grieving Mother Speaks After Daughter Killed in Brutal Stabbing: 'My Heart Has No Room for Hate'
The tragic story of Wendy Martinez’s murder has burdened the hearts of many across the country.
The 35-year-old Washington D.C. local was attacked while running in her neighborhood on Tuesday evening Sept. 18, 2018.
D.C. Police responded to a call by a nearby Chinese restaurant where Martinez collapsed after the attack.
She had been stabbed seven times.
“After all life-saving efforts failed, the victim was pronounced dead,” the police statement read.
Martinez’s family was absolutely heartbroken about the news. “We are deeply saddened by this senseless tragedy,” the family’s statement said, according to Fox 5. “Wendy Karina Martinez was the light of our lives. Not only was she an avid runner, but she was a devout Christian, a wonderful friend, and a driven professional. Everything you hope that a daughter and a friend could be.”
She had only been engaged to her fiancé, Daniel Hincapie, one week before the attack, but she had already gone dress shopping with her mother. The dress she bought that day will now be for her burial.
Investigators searched for the suspect using security camera footage and were able to apprehend a man by the name of Anthony Crawford. He was arrested and charged with first-degree murder while armed.
According to police, the attack was unprovoked, but the suspect did test positive for cocaine upon his arrest. The motive, if any, remains unclear.
“Whenever you have kind of this unexplained type of brutal attack that happens in our city, we do everything we possibly can to get to the bottom of it as quickly as we can,” D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham said. “So it was a combination of efforts by the community, by the police, that we were able to get this guy relatively quick.”
After his arrest, Martinez’s mother told the media that while she missed her bright, passionate daughter deeply she was relieved that her attacker was off of the streets so he would not be able to harm anyone else.
Her mother also shared a powerful message of forgiveness that shows just how strong she truly is.
“I have forgiven him completely. My heart has no room for hate, has no room for resentfulness,” she said. “We believe in the greatest Judge and the ultimate person that is going to give what is deserved. I am asking my family to do the same.”
I can’t even imagine the amount of grief Martinez’s family is going through right now, but her mother is showing an immense amount of grace toward the man who committed the horrific crime. May the family be able to follow her example.
Our thoughts and prayers are with them as they mourn the loss of a life taken too soon.
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