MOOSIC -- Gary Tyminski of Moosic shares a birthday with his daughter Stephanie.
She was brutally murdered in her apartment building in Scranton around Christmastime. Her alleged killer is now charged with her murder. But, Newswatch 16 has never heard from her family about who Stephanie Tyminski was. Her father chose Thursday, which is both their birthdays, to tell her story.
The events of December 10, 2014 shocked and scared residents of Valley View Terrace Apartments in Scranton. A 29-year-old woman was found dead, brutally beaten, in her bathtub.
Last week, Scranton Police arrested the alleged killer. They say Joseph Thornton carried out the violent attack only because the woman didn't return his advances.
For months, Stephanie Tyminski's story has focused on the way her life ended. Now, her family wants us to know about the life that she lived.
"I'm not a quitter, my daughter's not a quitter. She was a fighter. And she lost a battle. It kills me inside that she went that way. And I'm going to live with that for the rest of my life," Tyminski said.
Gary Tyminski and his daughter have a lot in common. Both are strong-willed, have a sense of humor, and they share the same birthday. Stephanie would have been 30 Thursday. Her family chose to still celebrate. Her father put a message on the marquee of the bar next to his house, and they looked through old pictures.
Stephanie's aunt, Lorraine Tyminski, told Newswatch 16 her niece had a lot of good things ahead of her. She was about to move into a bigger, better apartment in Taylor just days away from when she was killed.
"Everybody loves Stephanie and unfortunately it was over. He liked her, you know, and unfortunately she didn't take [his] advances. She was just living her life, getting ready to move on, go on to her next chapter," Lorraine said.
As Stephanie's family moves on to their next chapter, they want to make sure her death doesn't define her.
The Tyminski family says it's tough to find closure when they have a long road of court proceedings ahead. Stephanie's alleged killer, Joseph Thornton, is behind bars without bail awaiting trial.
