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Idaho trip led to teen's murder Death at boyfriend's hands ended ex-Crater student's dreams of singing career By DANI DODGE When 19-year-old Heather Schigas left for Idaho last year, it was only to attend a funeral. She planned to come back, finish up a few missing credits at Crater High School and graduate. Then she was going to join the Navy. Instead she met a man. And that man killed her. "She was a bubbly, fun person," said her father, Joe Schigas of Central Point. "But she met this guy and he was 36. They fought a lot. "When you're 19, you don't realize what's happening in life. When you're 19, you don't know better." A memorial service for Heather is planned for 1 p.m. Saturday at the Trail Christian Fellowship Church, 18881 Highway 62. Police in Nampa, Idaho, say that Schigas was beaten and then shot on Oct. 1 by Paul Petruzzi at the home they shared in Nampa. Petruzzi then shot himself. Their bodies were discovered Oct. 10 after friends asked police to check on the missing couple. Although neighbors in the suburb of tract homes had heard the couple arguing before the shooting, they were afraid to report it to police. "He was somewhat violent and threatening," said Nampa Police Lt. James Jeans. For example, one night, Petruzzi started beating his drums in their garage at 3:30 a.m., Jeans said. A neighbor called police. "The next day, (Petruzzi) went around to all the neighbors wanting to know who called the police," Jeans said. "And he had a gun tucked in his waistband." But other than being arrested for having a concealed weapon, he had no police record in Idaho, Jeans said. Family members say the last fight the couple had may have been sparked by his jealousy when he reportedly saw her walk outside Wal-Mart with a male co-worker. Family members also believe he felt threatened by the independence she gained when she got her driver's license three weeks before he beat and shot her in the head. Heather went to Idaho in June 2000 to attend the funeral of a friend who died in a drunken driving accident. Once she arrived, she started staying with her mother, whom she hadn't lived with since 1991. "She was enjoying getting to know her again," Heather's dad said. Heather met Petruzzi at a rock concert. He was a cement truck driver. She worked at Wal-Mart. They moved in together. Heather's passion was singing - and she dreamed of eventually singing professionally, family members said. "She was a first soprano," remembered James Walley, her choir teacher at Crater High School. "She had a lovely voice, a good solo voice." She also had a "real funny kind of cute sneeze," Walley said. Heather's friends remember a person who was always singing and writing poetry and who wanted to make them laugh when they were down. "When you were upset, she would always try to make you happy by making faces, telling jokes and tickling you," said Tia Treadaway, 24, who shared an Eagle Point apartment with Heather before she moved to Idaho. "When she was happy, her eyes could light up and you could tell she was smiling internally also," said Katrina Armstrong, 24, who also lived with Treadaway and Heather. "She was just a beautiful person all around." Police said they made no domestic violence calls to the home that Heather and Petruzzi shared, but after the murder-suicide, police heard about many arguments between the couple. One neighbor even said she saw Petruzzi slap Heather, but she never called police. Heather's mother suspected abuse and tried to talk to neighbors before Heather's death, but no one would tell her what was going on, said Heather's father. "Heather wouldn't admit that he was abusing her," Joe Schigas said. "She knew her mother would do something about it." Heather's step-grandmother, Debbie Hilkey, said the family can't understand why no one was willing to help. Why no one would call police for "the girl who sparkled." "There was a report that she was yelling out of the window, and I guess it was that day," said Hilkey. "They didn't have to get involved. They just had to pick up the phone." Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.