Tina Curl told Metro she will never have closure in the brutal murder of her 9-year-old daughter, Becky O’Connell, but watching her killer die will give her peace of mind.
“Nothing will bring her back,” Curl, 50, said of Becky. “It’s important [to see the execution] because he watched my daughter take her last breath. I want to see him take his last breath.”
Donald Moeller was convicted and sentenced to death for raping, stabbing and murdering young Becky in Lincoln County, South Dakota, back in 1990. Curl — who moved to Lake Luzerne, N.Y., with her husband, Dave, after Becky’s murder — described her daughter as a “good-hearted” girl who loved her cats and always made sure she gave everyone a Christmas present, no matter how small.
Now, 22 years after killing O’Connell, Moeller will be executed on or around Oct. 24 in Sioux Falls — and Curl wants to be there.
She and her husband live on disability. Curl said she cannot fly because she has a heart condition. The couple is seeking $4,000 in donations to make the cross-country trip by car to be there when Moeller is put to death.
“She was all I had,” Curl said. “Something I thought no one could ever take away, and he did that — he took away the only thing I had. And for that, I want to see him pay. If other people’s daughters were raped and murdered, I am sure they would want to be there, too.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Curl said she and her husband had only managed to raise about $870 dollars through the fund they set up at a local credit union. She thinks people are hesitant to donate toward her cause because they disagree with capital punishment.
“They are all treating me like I am wrong,” she said. “I don’t care what they think. I believe in an eye for an eye.”
Curl said she is considering sending Moeller a letter to let him know she plans to be present during his death.
“I just want you to know you watched my daughter die; I will be behind the window as you’re taking your last breath,” Curl said she plans to write. “That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less. I just want him to know I’m there.”
The Curls’ donation fund is through the Hudson River Community Credit Union at 1-800-824-0700.
Dave and Tina Curl (Images via Facebook)
