Hunting Marsha's killer, one year on

The family of murdered teenager Marsha McDonnell have spoken of the 12 months of anguish they have endured since she was battered to death yards from her home.

The 19-year-old student was killed in an apparently motiveless attack on 4 February last year, as she made the short journey from a bus stop in Hampton, after a night out with friends.

No one has been charged with her murder but detectives now hope new DNA techniques will provide a breakthrough in the case.

They are also planning to reinterview a 17-year-old who has been detained under the Mental Health Act in connection with the killing.

But, a year-on from the hammer attack that robbed them of their daughter, Marsha's family are still struggling to come to terms with their loss.

Her mother Ute said: "The first months were just about surviving what had happened. The pain was so great you almost have to block it out in order to carry on. I didn't tell my youngest child for two days that Marsha had died.

"Jack was just five years old. He adored his big sister and she was devoted to him. But Jack's a very intelligent boy who noticed the house was full of people in the days after her death.

"Eventually I took him upstairs and started saying 'Marsha has...', and he just said 'died'. He already knew. The hardest part about what has happened is watching the pain Jack and the rest of the family have gone through. As a mother you want to make it better for them but what they want is Marsha back, and I can't do that for them."

Today pictures of Marsha decorate the walls of the kitchen reminding her parents, two sisters Nathalie and Maya, and Jack of the vibrant girl they all desperately miss.

German-born Mrs McDonnell has vowed not to spend the anniversary of Marsha's death dwelling on what happened. Instead she plans to do something together, as a family.

"Marsha was such a vibrant, funloving person. We're going to do something fun, I know it's what Marsha would have wanted," she said.

Marsha's father Phil, a former rock band tour manager and now a music producer, has found it particularly difficult to cope. But the arrival of a Jack Russell Terrier puppy named Harry appears to have given him some respite from his sorrow.

Mrs McDonnell said: "I was worried about Phil. He's still very angry and is becoming quite an introvert. But I've heard him playing with Harry and he's started laughing again for the first time since Marsha's death."

Marsha's family have become involved with the Shooting Star Trust, which is building a children's hospice in Hampton. They have raised more than £45,000 towards a music-therapy room to be dedicated to her memory. "Marsha was a great musician. She played the violin, bass and was a lovely singer," said Mrs McDonnell.

Following Marsha's murder detectives linked it with two other attacks, both on people walking alone at night hit from behind with a heavy object.

In April, police in Hampton arrested a 16-year-old youth, now held in a secure unit under the Mental Health Act. He remains the prime suspect. Detectives are looking at new DNA techniques, including a matching procedure known as "snips". For Marsha's parents a conviction would bring some comfort. Mrs McDonnell said: "I have a sense of peace which I think comes from my faith. However, Phil needs a trial and conviction."

Donations to the Shooting Star Trust can be sent to Kathryn House, The Mews, 53 High Street, Hampton Hill, Middlesex TW12 1ND.