WINDHAM, Vt. (WCAX) – The daughter of a Vermont murder victim spoke out on the anniversary of the day her mother was found dead in her Windham home.
Police say Claudia Voight, 73, was killed in her Windham home three years ago. An autopsy determined she was strangled.
Shawn Conlon, of Rhode Island, who rented a room in Voight’s home, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder.
The case has faced delays with multiple attorneys dismissed, most recently on Thursday when Conlon told a judge he wants to represent himself while maintaining his innocence.
“She was kind, she was giving, she was generous, she was talented, she was an amazing quilter, she worked at Killington and Stratton, she was an active member of the community in southern Vermont, and that is how she deserves to be remembered. Not because of what this monster did,” said Heidi Voight, the victim’s daughter.
Heidi Voight says the killing led her to step away from her career as a news anchor in Connecticut, and she’s grown frustrated with the wait for justice.
“It’s insulting to hear those things and to hear him complaining about potentially facing life. We’re already facing a life sentence. We, the family, we have to live the rest of our lives without my mother. My children have to grow up without her. And someday they’ll have to learn the truth of how she really died,” Heidi Voight said.
A judge appears likely to appoint an attorney to represent Conlon, potentially delaying the case even longer.
Heidi Voight says she will not give up fighting and is confident justice will prevail.
