Mother of murdered teen sues Red Cross, claims she was fired illegally

PORTLAND, Maine — The mother of a teenager murdered by her Biddeford landlord in 2012 has sued a former employer alleging she was illegally fired after taking leave to deal with her daughter’s death.

Jocelyne Welch, 49, of Biddeford sued the American Red Cross, Northern New England Region, last month in Cumberland County Superior Court. Attorneys for the organization on Wednesday moved the case to federal court in Portland.

A trial date has not been set.

Welch’s 18-year-old daughter, Alivia Welch, and her 19-year-old boyfriend, Derrick Thompson, were shot and killed by James Earl Pak on Dec. 29, 2012, in a dispute over parking and snow removal. He also shot Thompson’s mother, Susan Johnson, then 44. She survived.

Pak, 79, pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and one count of aggravated attempted murder in early 2016. He is incarcerated for life at the Maine State Prison in Warren.

Read more: http://bangordailynews.com/2017/05/27/news/york/mother-of-murdered-teen-sues-red-cross-claims-she-was-fired-illegally/