The parents of a woman who was allegedly murdered by her husband say she was the victim of domestic abuse and that the two staying home during the coronavirus outbreak was not safe for their daughter.
Lissa Weimelt and Bill Pew, whose adopted daughter Maria Pew Fury, 28, was allegedly murdered by her husband John Pew Fury, also 28, say the man was controlling and that the two married after an intense and fast moving relationship.
The heartbroken parents add that they believe the couple staying at their Minnesota home during the coronavirus outbreak was not safe for their daughter.
‘You know that was not a safe place to be,’ Weimelt says. ‘It further isolated her.’
Lissa Weimelt (right) and Bill Pew, whose adopted daughter Maria Pew Fury, 28, was allegedly murdered by her husband John Pew Fury, also 28, say she was the victim of domestic abuse and that the two staying home during the coronavirus outbreak was not safe for their daughter
‘You know that was not a safe place to be,’ Weimelt says about her daughter and her husband staying home because of the coronavirus outbreak while she was at risk of domestic violence. ‘It further isolated her’
The parents say John Pew Fury (right) was controlling and that he and their daughter Maria (left) married after an intense and fast moving relationship
The parents are now inspired by their daughter’s passing to start a domestic abuse nonprofit to help victims in their daughter’s memory, NBC News reports.
The organization is being called ‘Maria’s Voice’.
‘This is something we can do. It’s a call to action about domestic violence and its in Maria’s voice,’ said Pew.
Joshua David Fury, 28, was charged with second-degree murder for allegedly strangling his wife Maria, by putting a plastic bag over her head and burying her body, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced after his arrest.
He had reported her missing on Thursday April 30, but her body was found two days later.
Authorities charged the husband after finding his wife’s remains buried in a crawlspace in the home.
Joshua David Fury, 28, was charged with second-degree murder for allegedly strangling his wife Maria, by putting a plastic bag over her head and burying her body
Joshua David Fury had reported Maria missing on Thursday April 30, but her body was found two days later. A missing persons poster made after Maria’s disappearance is pictured
Police were dispatched to the couple’s Maple Grove home on the 11000 block of Red Fox Drive after Joshua claimed Maria had vanished and they found her cellphone inside.
A two-day large-scale search was launched with teams on the ground and searching by helicopter.
Police served a search warrant on May 2 at the couple’s Maple Grove home where sniffer dogs detected human remains in a crawl space that was no more than four feet tall and had a dirt floor in the basement.
Police served a search warrant on May 2 at the couple’s Maple Grove home (pictured) where sniffer dogs detected human remains in a crawl space that was no more than four feet tall and had a dirt floor in the basement.
A second search warrant allowed police to dig in the crawl space and her body was found about a day later in the middle of the night after hours of digging.
Police found the preliminary cause of death to be asphyxiation from a plastic bag taped over her head and nose.
Investigator interviews with Maria’s family, friends and mother found that the couple was having marital problems and Fury was ‘controlling and possessive’. Maria’s mother said her daughter was going to leave him.
‘The things that I am faulting myself for now,’ Weimelt tells NBC News. ”Run, my God, run!’ Why didn’t I say that?’
Investigator interviews with Maria’s family, friends and mother found that the couple was having marital problems and Fury was ‘controlling and possessive’. ‘The things that I am faulting myself for now,’ Weimelt (right) says. ”Run, my God, run!’ Why didn’t I say that?’
The grieving mom says adopting Maria was like winning the ‘parenting jackpot.’
The parents recalled their daughter enjoying an active lifestyle, riding snow mobiles, horses and four-wheelers.
Maria also had been a cheerleader, says her dad, who described her as ‘always smiling.’
Maria also had been a cheerleader, says her dad, who described her as ‘always smiling’
Weimelt and Maria pose in an image posted on Facebook
Pew is pictured with Maria in an undated image broadcast on NBC News
NBC News reported that it contacted 35 domestic violence organizations in 19 states, and that some were reporting call volumes from victims had doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘We know that the coronavirus is a pandemic, but so is domestic violence, Weimelt says, adding that she and her husband can do their part to fight the abuse with their new organization.
‘We’re just parents with a broken heart,’ says the mom. ‘But we can do something and we’re going to do something to stop domestic violence.
‘We know that the coronavirus is a pandemic, but so is domestic violence, Weimelt (right) says, adding that she and her husband can do their part to fight the abuse with their new organization