A Marysville mother finally will be able to pay for the funeral and buy a headstone for her slain daughter’s grave site, thanks to the settlement of a civil suit against the father who killed 11-year-old Tiffany Marie Granquist.
The settlement closes a painful chapter in Roxanne Granquist’s life but opens the door to what she calls a new beginning.
"There will never be an end to it, and it will haunt me the rest of my life," said the 41-year-old mother of three. "With my strength in God, I will be able to go on with my life."
The settlement became final Friday when a King County Superior Court Judge approved it, Seattle lawyer Frank Shoichet said.
The lawsuit was against the dead girl’s father, William Harrold, who shot Tiffany while she was sleeping on March 16, 2002.
Although her mother had custody of Tiffany, the girl had been living with her father in order to improve the child’s health and education opportunities. She had been attending a parochial school in Seattle and was being treated for severe emotional problems.
Shoichet said Harrold became distraught at the possibility that Tiffany would return to her mother.
A King County Superior Court jury convicted Harrold of first-degree murder, although he claimed he could not recall shooting Tiffany because of an alcohol-induced blackout, Shoichet said. He’s serving a 30-year prison sentence.
Harrold wasn’t rich, but he had some assets. Shoichet served him with papers freezing his money on Feb. 21, the day of his sentencing.
Granquist will get 85 percent of his money, about $85,000, Shoichet said. In addition, if Harrold inherits money from his late father’s estate, Granquist will receive 80 percent of that, according to the agreement.
Granquist and Shoichet said they will donate a tenth of the proceeds to the private victim advocacy group Families and Friends of Violent Crime Victims.
The gift of about $8,500 comes at a time when the Snohomish County-based organization is scraping for donations to keep going.
"They are an awesome organization," Granquist said. "They’ve been with me since day one."
Many of the group’s volunteers and paid staff have had similar tragedies in their lives, Granquist said. "So they know what I’m going through."
Shoichet said he wants to set an example for others to be aggressive and seize assets of criminals and use the money to help victims or their relatives. He has given similar donations to the advocacy group in the past.
Tiffany was described as "a very happy, normal little girl" by her mother. She loved basketball and soccer.
"I have tons of medals from basketball. She just loved life altogether," Granquist said.
Poor and unable to fully care for Tiffany, Granquist thought she was doing the right thing letting her live with Harrold, Granquist’s former boyfriend. As it turned out, she was wrong.
King County prosecutors produced a witness who related a conversation with Harrold in which he said he would kill Tiffany and himself if he were to lose the girl to her mother. The girl was "fearful of her father and wanted to live with her mom," Shoichet said.
Now Granquist has a new baby and a fiance. She’ll be able to take care of her debts and buy a headstone with a picture of Tiffany on it for a cemetery in Marysville.
"That will be a real comfort, to be able to go and see that," Granquist said. "We’ll be able to go on with our lives, and we will keep her in our memories."
Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or haley@heraldnet.com.
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