14 News, The Tri-State's News and Weather Leader-Murder arrest: 14 News talks with victim's mom

Murder arrest: 14 News talks with victim's mom

By Brandon Bartlett
Posted by Jill Lyman

Update: 14 News spoke with a mother who's been waiting seven years for justice in the murder of her son.

Evansville Police now have a suspect behind bars in the death of Benjamin Doyle. Doyle was found dead at the foot of a staircase in an east side apartment.

Tracy Wongngamnit, 27, was arrested Friday and charged with murder. She's being held at the Vanderburgh County Jail. Wongngamnit was indicted by a grand jury Friday in Doyle's death.

She was arrested in September 2007 in the case, but charged with obstruction of justice, after police say she contacted a witness after being told not to.

Doyle died in September of 2001, after attending a party at the Cass Court Apartments. Investigators originally thought Doyle had fallen down the stairs after a night of drinking, but a coroner's report showed he had no drugs or alcohol in his system.

Doyle had a skull fracture, brain swelling and bruising. His mother, Bridget Donnellan, tells 14 News this arrest is long overdue.

"I did a jig in the kitchen. I'm very, very happy," said Donnellan. "It doesn't really matter what happens now. I'm very, very pleased. This has been a long process."

For seven years Bridget Donnellan said she knew what happned to her son.

"I knew he was murdered because Tracy is a scamp," said Donnellan.

 In September 2001, the night of the party, Tracy Wongngamnit and Benjamin Doyle had just gotten out of a relationship. Both remainded friendly, even at the party, which is even more puzzling why Doyle ended up at the bottom of a staircase... in his own blood.

"We treated her like family, and look what she did to our kid," said Donnellan. "That's all I got to say."

Donnellan says many people at the party that night have come to her, telling her there's more to the story than tracy was telling. Donnellan immediately took that information to police.

"I aggravated the crap out of everyone downtown," said Donnellan.

 Then finally, there is a break in the case. Detectives aren't revealing specifics as to what led to the arrest, only saying it was a community effort. 

"For the most part, people that knew about it have come forward," said Evansville Police Detective Tony Mayhew. "I think the people felt, they have told me that, 'We're not going to have this. For the boy do die like this, and we're not going to have this.'"

Now with Wongngamnit behind bars, Donnellan says justice has finally been served, but for her, it's been a long seven years.

"I will never forgive her because Benjamin would not want me to forgive her," said Donnellan. "There's no closure. There will never be closure."

Wongngamnit is being held at the Vanderburgh County Jail without bond. She's scheduled to be in court next week.

By Jill Lyman

Previously: An Evansville woman is indicted by a grand jury for murder.

Tracy R. Wongngamnit, 27, was was arrested shortly before 3 p.m. Friday in the death of Benjamin Doyle.

Ben Doyle's body was found at the bottom of a staircase in a Cass Court Apartment in September of 2001. Police say he had been at a party at Wongngamnit's apartment.

What was first though to be an accident soon became a murder investigation when an autopsy revealed Doyle had been hit in the head repeatedly with a blunt object.