A Valley family has been searching for justice in the Labor Day killings of three of their loved ones for 40 years.
"It's been 40 years... that's a long time and I still have that kind of pain and hurt in your heart; that's a long time," says Vickie McDonald, sister.
The family chooses to remember 26-year-old Valerie Pride and her two daughters, 5-year-old Duana and 8-year-old Shontia, by their smiles.
"They are all in heaven, peacefully together," says Vickie.
That is the only thing they take comfort in, following that horrific day in 1982.
Valerie's sister now lives in Maricopa.
"I could remember everything about that day," says Vickie.
She tells us Valerie was an accomplished woman — one of the first Black female electricians at the Palo Verde Power Plant. That's where she met her boyfriend, whom she was starting a new life with after getting a divorce from her high school sweetheart.
"But that's when things kind of started happening, like issues arose from his past and it caused conflict in the relationship, but he always reassured her he was handling things," says Vickie.
Valerie and her new boyfriend ended up buying a house together in the South Mountain area. We're told Valerie was at that home, alone with the girls, the night of the murders.
"She ended up on a conversation with her significant other's brother and that's when she said, 'somebody is at the door' and that's the last time anybody heard from her," says Vickie.
Valerie's boyfriend later found them murdered, stabbed several times.
"She was trying to get to a weapon, but she didn't make it. They found her in the hallway," says Valerie's sister-in-law.
The person behind the crime got away through the backyard by jumping over the fence. The family tells us a handprint was one crucial piece of evidence left behind. They believe the murderer knew Valerie and her boyfriend.
"In your mind, do you think it was a crime of passion?" asks reporter.
"Definitely, a crime of passion," responds Vickie.
As Labor Day marks 40 years, the family just wants closure and justice. ABC15 was able to bring them some hope.
"I was able to get a little information from the detective. So, to hear that they are submitting some evidence to the lab for processing, how does that make you feel?" asks reporter.
"Happy, that something will hopefully come out of that evidence," responds Vickie.
If you have any information regarding this case, call Silent Witness at 480-948-6377. You can also leave an anonymous tip on their website: silentwitness.org.Remember, you remain completely anonymous and could earn a cash reward for information leading to the arrest.
