Deadly shooting victim’s family reacts to suspect’s indictment

On Thursday, a grand jury indicted Laura Candia’s ex-boyfriend for her murder.

She died in September after prosecutors said he rammed her car, then shot it up 17 times.

The family breathed a sigh of relief on Thursday when Michael Anthony Maldonado, the man investigators say killed Candia, was charged with capital murder.

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“I cried with joy,” said Olga Welch, Candia’s grandmother. “I jumped up in the air when I heard it, and I called my son right away crying, and I told him, ‘Did you hear? Did you hear?’ He said, ‘Yes, Mom, they called me too.’ I am so relieved, and I feel more safer now. I’ve been taking the anxiety pills and stress pills and you name it. It’s like I couldn’t even go outside, and I looked both ways before I got in the car,” Welch said.

Welch was driving a car with Candia when she lost her forever. On Sept. 16, Welch said Candia had gotten upset with Maldonado, with whom she shared a child.

“Laura was crying. I didn’t know why. She said that Michael would not let her hug the baby because she was going to take him. He was going to take her for a week, and I said, ‘Come on, let’s go get some ice cream,'” Welch said.

But they only made it three minutes down the road when…

“Somebody hit us from behind, and she yelled out, ‘Michael!'” Welch said.

Welch said her granddaughter knew immediately it was her domestic abuser behind the attack. He pulled up beside their car, shooting them both. Over 15 bullets were found inside Welch.

“I take a lot of prescriptions. I gotta go to neurosurgeon. I gotta go back to my trauma. I’ve had surgeries to clean out my wounds because they got infected. They took a big chunk of meat off my right arm,” Welch said.

Welch has a message for others going through domestic violence.

“Don’t ever try to go back if he’s hurting you. Speak and tell them what they’re doing to you. Tell somebody [to] get help,” she said.

One of those places where you can get help is the Shelter for Abused Women and Children.

“We always believe victims, and when they tell us that they believe that their abuser is going to kill them, we absolutely believe them,” said Linda Oberhaus from the Shelter for Abused Women & Children, Collier County.

Oberhaus said a lot of times, it can become scarier when you leave the relationship as the abuser can become more dangerous, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t leave.

“Even if it’s more dangerous, I would say to call the 24-hour crisis hotline, talk to an advocate. We have advocates 24 hours a day to help walk them through the steps of being able to get out safely and be able to get to the shelter safely,” Oberhaus said.

Candia’s daughter is being cared for by her father and his wife. Olga described her as a very happy little girl. This family can now rest easy, knowing Maldonado is being held without bond.

To learn more about ACT, a service that is committed to serving victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking, click here.

The Shelter for Abused Women and Children’s mission is to collaborate with the community to “prevent, protect and prevail” over domestic violence and human trafficking. Click here to learn more.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 800-799-7233 or text START to 88788.